Mark Constantine on Kahlil Gibran
Great Lives
BBC
4.2 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2014
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Businessman Mark Constantine chooses Lebanese-American author of ‘The Prophet’, Khalil Gibran. With Matthew Parris.
Snubbed and practically ignored by the literary establishment in the West, but regarded by millions as a world-class poet his work, The Prophet, published in 1923, has never been out of print and next to the bible is the biggest selling book in America.
Businessman Mark Constantine champions the poet and together with the actor Nadim Sawalha. Matthew Parris is the presenter. Producer : Perminder Khatkar
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2014.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Once you've wrapped up this podcast, how about trying a very British cult? |
| 0:06.0 | What happens if the person you trust with your future isn't what you think they are? |
| 0:10.0 | I did feel the whole time he was watching me Yeti. I saw a footprint and that really gave me gusmas. |
| 0:16.4 | Or people who knew me. Emme, I remember every secret, every lie. I'm the only one who knows the truth. |
| 0:23.0 | Discover more of our biggest podcast from 2003. |
| 0:27.0 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:29.0 | Great Lives is a download from Radio 4. |
| 0:32.0 | We hope you enjoy what you're about to hear. |
| 0:35.0 | Can there be a great life or work so admired, so studied, for so long by so many hundreds of millions of people that has been so utterly |
| 0:44.0 | disregarded or sneered at by those who might call themselves the arbiters of our |
| 0:49.4 | wisdom and our taste. The Beatles, John F Kennedy, in Deere Agandir, among those who've long been influenced |
| 0:55.7 | by this man's words, lines from his book of inspired song lyrics, political speeches, and |
| 1:01.6 | been read out at weddings and funerals around the world. |
| 1:05.0 | You were born together and together you shall be forever more. |
| 1:10.5 | You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days. |
| 1:15.0 | Ah, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God. |
| 1:19.0 | But let there be spaces in your togetherness. |
| 1:23.0 | Snubbed and practically ignored by the literary establishment in the West. |
| 1:28.0 | This week's great life is Khalil Gibran, author of The Prophet. His great work, published in 1923, has never been out of |
| 1:37.1 | print and next to the Bible is the biggest selling book in America. He's championed today by my guest, businessman and |
| 1:44.8 | co-founder of the cosmetic company Lush, Mark Constantine. Mark, what's an |
| 1:51.0 | entrepreneur who makes cosmetics got in common with a poet like this? |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

