本文是当代英语纪伯伦传记代表作《哈利勒·纪伯伦：他的生活和世界》中译本的译者序，总结了纪伯伦生命的历史、思想和文化意义，也概述了这部传记的主要内容。首先，纪伯伦的个人成长史，是一部早期阿拉伯移民在美国的奋斗史，他的移民动因、经历和生活是20世纪上半叶阿拉伯裔美国人境遇的缩影。其次，纪伯伦的生命存在本身，便标志了一种思想、一种文学、一种艺术，是现代主义的注解。最后，在文化的意义上，纪伯伦的人生、文学与艺术，交相辉映着西方人对“圣经所述”之“东方”既熟悉又遥远的怀恋与好奇，这一经久不息的文化想象，在根本上成就了纪伯伦的人生、文学和艺术。
This is an introduction to the Chinese translation of the book titled “Kahlil Gibran：His Life and World”.This book is one of the English biographical representations of the life works of Kahlil Gibran. This article summarizes the meanings and values of the life of Kahlil Gibran from the perspectives of history，ideaology，as well as culture and outlining the main content of Gibran’s biography.First，the personal development of Kahlil Gibran represents the history of early Arab-Americans hardships and struggles in as part of a diaspora.The article also provides an account of what motivated his migration to America，his experiences，and how his life epitomizes the circumstances of the Arab-American migrants in the early 20th century. Second，this article illustrates the existence of Kahlil Gibran providing annotations for modernism as being one thought，literary genre，as well as an artistic form. Third，culturally，the article delineates the curiosity and nostalgia on biblical descriptions of “the Orient”. The perpetual and lasting vision of “the Orient” in the mind of western people shaped and fashioned the foundation of Kahlil Gibran’s life，literature，and arts.
