Whilst browsing through Audible I saw that the book ‘The Prophet’ by Khalil Gibran was available. The title intrigued me and reading the blurb my interest was piqued further. Add in the fact that it was read by Riz Ahmed, an actor and activist I really admire, and it was a no-brainer. I plumped for it, listening to it in one go which is no big deal as it clocked in at just under 2 hours.

The book is made up of 26 prose poems, delivered as sermons by a wise man called Al Mustapha. He is about to set sail for his homeland after 12 years in exile on a fictional island when the people of the island ask him to share his wisdom on the big questions of life: love, family, work and death. And so, in the course of the runtime, we get earnest and heartfelt universal truths about the human condition. The book speaks to people at different stages of their lives. It has this magical quality in the more you read it the more you come to understand the words and relate them to yourself and your own experiences.

I very much enjoyed the book as it wasn't as trite as ‘The Alchemist ‘or as psycho-babblish as many other books that try to achieve that ‘spiritual’ vibe without being too cheesy. In fact, the author I found it most similar to was Sandor Marai, whose work ‘Embers’ remains one of the most beautifully written works I’ve ever had the pleasure to read.

I loved the fact that Gibran's work is not filled with any mainstream faith dogma but is open to everyone, irrespective of their background; the writing is not moralistic but rather universally spiritual. It can help us consider our own view of the world and for those who choose to interpret it as such, it reaches for the light of truth and God.

This book is an immersive and engaging read and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a philosophical read.