Book excerpt: In his own life, Gibran experienced the pain, difficulties, and anguish of failure as well as the satisfactions of success. His early writings reflected his rebellious spirit, as expressed in this work, written in 1908, which constitutes a critique of traditional social customs. In the year of its publication, in a square in Beirut, Catholic bishops ordered the burning of this book. It consists of three stories, the third entitled "Khalil the heretic" refers to a young man who, being orphaned as a child, is sent to live with the monks of a convent, where he receives all kinds of abuse. From there he escapes, is chased and taken to be tried before the Sheik. His plea will open the minds and hearts of the inhabitants who will understand that they have lived through an existence of subjugation and injustice and will rebel against this situation.