Suheil Bushrui (1931-2015) was a distinguished author, poet, critic and translator, particularly revered as an authority on the works of W. B. Yeats and Kahlil Gibran. A university professor for over sixty years, Bushrui taught at universities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America. He was the founder and former Director of the George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland, where he held the title of Research Professor Emeritus and where he was also a Senior Scholar for Peace Studies at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management. A Fellow of the Temenos Academy, and the recipient of many international awards, Bushrui's publications are extensive in both English and Arabic, and include The Wisdom of the Arabs, The Prophet: A New Annotated Edition and The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race. James M. Malarkey is a specialist in Middle Eastern and North African studies. He currently teaches World Classics of literature and philosophy at Antioch University Midwest where he is Chair of Humanities. He previously taught at the American University of Beirut and at the University of Constantine, Algeria.