El Profeta
El Profeta, a work translated by Colombian writer Elena Laserna Pinzón (1910-1943) from English to Spanish in 1938 is a version of the book The Prophet by the Lebanese poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran (1883-1931). This first version was published even before in Colombia women acquired the right to vote. This was decreed in 1954 thanks, among other things, to the management of Elena Laserna Pinzón's aunt, Isabel Pinzón Castilla de Carreño. The preface presented by Elena Laserna Pinzón, is a plea for a more just and equitable society between men and women ... As well as all the other messages of fraternity and tolerance with which Gibran's book is marked. In this, the translation proposed by Elena Laserna Pinzón is not only marked by a great feminine sensitivity but it also advocates respect between men and women in the very image of the simple and profound message of Khalil Gibran.
Almost 80 years after the sudden disappearance of Elena Laserna Pinzón, and having worked on her legacy, it seems important to me to share her work with as many people as possible. Indeed, in these difficult times that we live on a global scale, in which women and girls become particularly vulnerable in the face of precarious situations due to the confinement imposed by the health crisis linked to the Coronavirus, the message of Khalil Gibran can bring food for thought in Spanish-speaking countries thanks to this sensitive translation of its universal message.