Rupi Kaur takes this classic poetry book with her every time she travels


Thanks to her collections of poems and her Instagram posts, Rupi Kaur is one of the most famous poets in the world. However, she was not always a fan of poetry. Here is a look at his favorite book of poems and how it is an integral part of his life.

Rupi Kaur | Jared Siskin / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Rupi Kaur said this classic poetry book is “so deep and deep, yet easy to understand”

Kaur wrote moving poems about his experience as a member of the South Asian diaspora living in Canada. Her experiences as an immigrant shaped her relationship with poetry as she grew up. “English is my second language – I’m an immigrant, so I didn’t learn English properly until I was in second or third grade,” she told Stylist. “At that time, I was so traumatized by the bullying [at school] that I refused to talk, so books became my best friends. But I couldn’t really understand the poetry we were studying.

While some poems were too difficult for her, Kaur adopted one of the most famous books of poetry of the 20th century. She notably adopted the book for its simplicity. “I grew up reading The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, which is my favorite book, and I enjoyed it because it was so deep and so easy to understand, ”she said.

Elvis Presley's copy of The Prophet with his notes

Elvis Presley’s copy of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet | Dave Thompson / PA Images via Getty Images

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How the poems of ‘The Prophet’ continue to affect him

In an interview with CBC Arts, Kaur revealed how The Prophet continues to affect him to this day. “The Prophet is my Bible of life, ”she said. “Whenever I’m down, I can go find so many gems in the book. It’s the only book I travel with all the time. I always have it in my backpack and it’s kind of a security blanket for me.

During an interview with Verve, Kaur said she wished she could meet The Prophet‘s author. “I would love to sit with people who inspire me from the past,” she revealed. “Imagine sitting down with Kahlil Gibran and asking him: ‘what were you thinking when you wrote The Prophet? ‘”

Elvis Presley's copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran with his notes

Elvis Presley’s copy of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet | Joe Corrigan / Getty Images

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Rupi Kaur writes an introduction to ‘The Prophet’

Kaur’s link with The Prophet extends beyond its enjoyment. She wrote an introduction for the Penguin Classics edition of the book. In her introduction, she says that the book also had a major impact on her father and that he discussed it with her on several occasions when she was growing up. She revealed that she distributed copies of it to many people and that it served as inspiration for her own poems. Kaur said The Prophet meant different things to the different generations that have arisen since her publication in 1923. Perhaps a new generation will associate her with her and the major impact it has had on her poems.

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