Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931) was one of the twentieth century's most inspirational poets, authors, and artists. He drew upon his personal faith to write such bestsellers as The Prophet and Jesus Son of ManSuheil Bushrui is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on Kahlil Gibran, and has widely published on him in Arabic and in English. In 1983 he was appointed by the President of the Republic of Lebanon as a co-ordinator of the Presidential Committee commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of Gibran's birth. He is currently Professor and Director of the University of Maryland Kahlil Gibran Research and Studies Project at the Center for Heritage Resource Studies.