“Broken Wings” – The Story of Kahlil Gibran’s First Love
SOURCE: MAGVIRAL. COM
BY: JACKIE AUSTIN
DUBAI: When it comes to matters of the heart, we are often asked that intimate question: Do you remember your first love? It is an experience that lives in our memories for a long time – a sense of belonging, connection and emotional fulfillment with another person. But in many cases, such feelings can eventually be crushed by disappointment and heartbreak.
The beloved poet of Lebanon Kahlil Gibran – third in the list of all-time bestsellers – was 29 when his novel “The Broken Wings” was published in 1912 – 11 years before the publication of his iconic masterpiece “The Prophet”.
“The Broken Wings” is set in Lebanon in the early 20th century and tells the tragic story of Gibran’s first true love, Selma Karamy. “I was 18 years old,” Gibran wrote. “When love opened my eyes with its magical rays and touched my mind with its fiery fingers for the first time.” However, in an environment that preferred to respect the father’s wishes rather than following the heart, Karamy was engaged in an arranged marriage between two powerful families.
The Lebanese-British Nadim Naaman is the co-writer and protagonist of the extensive musical production. (Supplied)
The book by Gibran was reinvented as a musical, which opened in the London Theater Royal Haymarket and was also performed at the Beiteddine Festival in Lebanon. It is now being performed at Dubai Opera, with three shows taking place on January 17 and 18.
Writing and composing this extensive musical production took almost two years to complete. One of the co-writers and protagonists is the Lebanese-British Nadim Naaman, who explained to Arab News why it’s time to bring the ghost of Gibran – which he describes as “the Shakespeare of the Middle East” to the UAE. .
“Dubai is in my opinion the most advanced, open-minded and tolerant city in the region,” said Naaman, who plays the role of “old Gibran” and tells the story. “The artistic facilities here are unparalleled and there is now an attitude of welcoming art and embracing what other parts of the world can offer the Gulf. This is the mentality of Gibran, who stood up a hundred years ago for universal tolerance, peace and respect. ”
The book by Gibran was reinvented as a musical, which opened in the London Theater Royal Haymarket and was also performed at the Beiteddine Festival in Lebanon. (Supplied)
Naaman grew up in a household that honored the profound poetry of the man who greets many Lebanese as a national treasure. As a teenager, Naaman read ‘The Prophet’ for the first time and considered Gibran a philosopher who led readers about how to live and how to treat each other.
“The thing that really struck me about Gibran was how impressive it was that he was considered a national hero when he really didn’t spend time in Lebanon,” Naaman said. “He emigrated to America at the age of 12 and changed the spelling of his name because he wanted to be considered a Westerner. He published his most famous book “The Prophet” in English, not in Arabic. And he never returned to Beirut after the age of 18 or 19 years. Now, 100 years later, the Lebanese people are the same – they have had to leave Lebanon to pursue their dreams and careers. Gibran was one of the first people to do that. “
The beloved poet of Lebanon Kahlil Gibran – third in the list of all-time bestsellers – was 29 when his novel “The Broken Wings” was published in 1912. (included)
Long after Gibran’s death, it seems that his often rebellious work comes at the right time and addresses universal themes, such as the relationship with one’s home country, women’s rights and challenging social norms. All of these themes, and more, are explored in this accessible musical production, of which Naaman hopes that the public will get a better understanding of the complexity of Gibran the man, as opposed to the writer.
What also makes ‘The Broken Wings’ unique in the world of musicals is the fact that it is one of the few West End productions that is entirely based on an Arab personality and a Middle Eastern setting. As Naaman says: ‘Why not a musical set in Beirut? Why does it always have to be Paris, New York or London? ”
In a world where representation matters more than ever, Naaman welcomes this way of thinking. “I trained theater in London and never portrayed the real Middle East, unless it was a story about war, terrorism or things that become clichés about the Middle East in the West,” he said. “I think we needed an injection of Gibran – people need to know that the Middle East has spirits like him.”
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