''Broken Wings'' () is a poetic novel or

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

written in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Kahlil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran (January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and Visual arts, visual artist; he was also considered a philosopher, although he himself reject ...

and first published in 1912 by the printing house of the periodical '' Meraat-ul-Gharb'' in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. It is a tale of tragic love, set at the turn of the 20th century in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. A young woman, Selma Karamy, is betrothed to a prominent religious man's nephew. The protagonist (a young man that Gibran perhaps modeled after 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 The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...

, including religious corruption, the rights of women (and lack thereof), and the weighing up of wealth and happiness. The book was later adapted as the 1962 Lebanese film ''

The Broken Wings ''The Broken Wings'' is a 1962 film adaptation of the 1912 novel by Khalil Gibran. The film, directed by Youssef Maalouf, faithfully follows its source material in the bittersweet story of a young man's doomed love for a beautiful girl, who is f ...

''. In 2018, Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan adapted the book as their musical '' Broken Wings''. The world premiere was staged in London's

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

Summary

In his novel, Gibran talked about his first love story, and the extent of its impact on his life, so Faris Karama asked him to visit him at his home to tell him more about his past with his father, and to introduce him to his daughter. The writer visited Mr. Karama, and there he met his daughter Salma, and his relationship with Mr. Karama was strong. He loved her from the first sight and became a frequent visitor. He was getting to know more about Salma and increasing his love and attachment to her. Bishop invited Mr. Fares to talk to him about an important matter, which forced him to go on the same night, and this was an opportunity the writer used to confess his love for Salma, who shared the same feeling. When Mr. Fares returned from his meeting with the bishop, he informed Salma about his decision to marry the bishop's nephew, Mansour Bey, who was known for his greed for Salma and her father's property. Mansour Bey married Salma against her will, and months and seasons passed. After this incident, the writer and Salma began to meet once a month in a small temple far from her home, potentially in the

Beqaa Valley The Beqaa Valley (, ; Bekaa, Biqâ, Becaa) is a fertile valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region. Industry, especially the country's agricultural industry, also flourishes in Beqaa. The region broadly corresponds to th ...

. In the fifth year of Salma and Mansour Bey's marriage, Salma became pregnant with a child. After giving birth, she and her child died.

Popular culture

* The song " Broken Wings", a US No. 1 and worldwide Top 10 hit for the band Mr. Mister, was inspired by the novel.Broken Wings
@ Songfacts.com

References

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summary reviews

External links

1912 American novels American novels adapted into films Books by Kahlil Gibran {{1910s-novel-stub