Translator Juan R.I. Cole is Director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History. He has authored, edited, or translated seven books about the Middle East, an area he has been studying for twenty years. He spent six years in the Arab world, and has also lived in Ethiopia, India, and Pakistan.

About the Author
Poet, philosopher, and artist, Kahlil Gibran was born near Mount Lebanon. The millions of Arabic-speaking peoples familiar with his writings in that language consider him the genius of his age, but his fame and influence spread far beyond the Near East. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages and his drawings and paintings have been exhibited all over the world. His many books include The Prophet, his masterpiece of religious inspiration. White Cloud Press' acclaimed translations of Gibran's Arabic writings include The Storm: Stories and Prose Poems, The Vision: Reflections on the Way of the Soul; Broken Wings; Spirit Brides, and The Beloved: Reflections on the Path of the Heart.