Broken Wings (book)
Encyclopedia
The Broken Wings is a poetic novel written by Khalil Gibran
and first published in Arabic
in 1912. It is a tale of tragic love, set in turn-of-the-century Beirut
. A young woman, Selma Karamy is betrothed to a prominent religious man's nephew. The protagonist, a young man, perhaps even Gibran himself falls in love with this woman. They begin to meet in secret, however they are discovered, and Selma is forbidden to leave her house, breaking their hopes and hearts.
The book highlights many of the social issues of the time in the Eastern Mediterranean
, including religious corruption, the rights of women (and lack thereof), and the weighing up of wealth and happiness.
Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran Jubrān Khalīl Jubrān,Jibrān Khalīl Jibrān, or Jibrān Xalīl Jibrān; Arabic , January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931) also known as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer...
and first published in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
in 1912. It is a tale of tragic love, set in turn-of-the-century Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. A young woman, Selma Karamy is betrothed to a prominent religious man's nephew. The protagonist, a young man, perhaps even Gibran himself falls in love with this woman. They begin to meet in secret, however they are discovered, and Selma is forbidden to leave her house, breaking their hopes and hearts.
The book highlights many of the social issues of the time in the Eastern Mediterranean
Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is a term that denotes the countries geographically to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. This region is also known as Greater Syria or the Levant....
, including religious corruption, the rights of women (and lack thereof), and the weighing up of wealth and happiness.
Popular culture
- The song "Broken Wings", a US #1 and worldwide Top 10 hit for the band Mr. MisterMr. MisterMr. Mister is an American pop rock band most popular in the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a Weather Report album called Mr. Gone where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as...
, was inspired by the novel. - The song "BlackbirdBlackbird (song)"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
" by John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
was also inspired by the novel.