Paulo Coelho
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For the paralympian athlete, see Paulo de Almeida Coelho.
| Paulo Coelho | |
|---|---|
Paulo Coelho in 2008
| |
| Born | August 24, 1947 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Notable works | The Alchemist , Brida |
| Spouse | Christina Oiticica |
Paulo Coelho de Souza (Portuguese: [ˈpawlu kuˈeʎu]; born August 24, 1947), is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He is the recipient of numerous international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. The Alchemist, his most famous novel, has been translated into 80 languages.[1] The author has sold 210 million copies worldwide (as for June 2015) and is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author (Lista de livros mais vendidos).
Contents
[hide]Biography[edit]
Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil[2] and attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded, "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer?"[2] After researching, which was common for him since he was a policy debater when he was in high school, Coelho concluded that a writer "always wears glasses and never combs his hair" and has a "duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation," amongst other things.[2] At 17, Coelho's introversion and opposition to following a traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20.[3][4] Coelho later remarked that "It wasn't that they wanted to hurt me, but they didn't know what to do... They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me."[5] At his parents' wishes, Coelho enrolled in law school and abandoned his dream of becoming a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived life as a hippie, traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe and started using drugs in the 1960s.[6][7] Upon his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as a songwriter, composing lyrics for Elis Regina, Rita Lee, and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. Composing with Raul led to Coelho being associated with magic and occultism, due to the content of some songs.[8] In 1974, Coelho was arrested for "subversive" activities by the ruling military government, who had taken power ten years earlier and viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous.[5]Coelho also worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career.[8]
In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life.[6][9] On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage.[10] In an interview, Coelho stated "[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was doing something that gave me food and water – to use the metaphor in "The Alchemist", I was working, I had a person whom I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer."[11] Coelho would leave his lucrative career as a songwriter and pursue writing full-time.
Writing career[edit]
In 1982, Coelho published his first book, Hell Archives, which failed to make a substantial impact.[8] In 1986 he contributed to the Practical Manual of Vampirism, although he later tried to take it off the shelves since he considered it "of bad quality."[8] After making the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in 1986, Coelho wrote The Pilgrimage and was published in the year 1987. The following year, Coelho wrote The Alchemist and published it through a small Brazilian publishing house who made an initial print run of 900 copies and decided not to reprint.[12]He subsequently found a bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his next book Brida, The Alchemist took off. HarperCollins, the biggest publishing House in the United States, decided to publish the book in 1994. Then, it became first a Brazilian bestseller, later a world-wide phenomenon.[12][clarification needed] The Alchemist has gone on to sell more than 83 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling books in history, and has been translated into 67 different languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author.[8][13]
The Alchemist, easily known as his most successful story, is a story about a young shepherd who follows his spiritual journey to the Egyptian pyramids in search of a treasure.
Since the publication of The Alchemist, Coelho has generally written one novel every two years including By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, Eleven Minutes, Like the Flowing River, Brida, The Valkyries, The Winner Stands Alone, The Zahir, The Witch of Portobello, Aleph (novel), Manuscript Found in Accra and Adultery. While trying to overcome his procrastination of launching his writing career, Coelho said, "If I see a white feather today, that is a sign that God is giving me that I have to write a new book." Coelho found a white feather in the window of a shop, and began writing that day.[10]
In total, Coelho has published 30 books. Three of them – The Pilgrimage,The Valkyries and Aleph – are autobiographical, while the majority of the rest are fictional, although rooted in his life experiences.[6] Others, like Maktub and The Manual of the Warrior of Light, are collections of essays, newspaper columns, or selected teachings. In total, Coelho has sold more than 210 million books in over 170 countries worldwide (June 2015 sales figures), and his works have been translated into 80 languages.[7][8]
Coelho also writes up to three blog posts a week at his blog.[14]
The Alchemist[edit]
The Alchemist has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within.
Many celebrities have declared The Alchemist as their favorite novel. Bill Clinton was spotted with a copy of the book, and Will Smith, Madonna, and many others have declared it is their favorite novel. In 2014, Oprah Winfrey interviewed pop star Pharrell Williams, who explained that The Alchemist changed his life.[12]
Bibliography[edit]
| Year | Portuguese title | English title |
| 1974 | O Manifesto de Krig-há | The Manifest of Krig-há |
| 1974 | Teatro da Educação | Theater For Education |
| 1982 | Arquivos do Inferno | Hell Archives |
| 1986 | O Manual Prático do Vampirismo | Practical Manual of Vampirism |
| 1987 | O Diário de Um Mago | The Pilgrimage |
| 1988 | O Alquimista | The Alchemist |
| 1990 | Brida | Brida |
| 1991 | O Dom Supremo | The Supreme Gift |
| 1992 | As Valkírias | The Valkyries |
| 1994 | Maktub | Maktub |
| Na margem do rio Piedra eu sentei e chorei | By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept | |
| 1996 | O Monte Cinco | The Fifth Mountain |
| 1997 | Letras do amor de um profeta | Love Letters from a Prophet |
| Manual do guerreiro da luz | Manual of the Warrior of Light | |
| 1998 | Veronika decide morrer | Veronika Decides to Die |
| Palavras essenciais | Essential Words | |
| 2000 | O Demônio e a srta Prym | The Devil and Miss Prym |
| 2001 | Histórias para pais, filhos e netos | Fathers, Sons and Grandsons |
| 2003 | Onze Minutos | Eleven Minutes |
| 2004 | E no sétimo dia | And on the Seventh Day (collection of the novels By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, Veronika Decides to Die and The Devil and Miss Prym) |
| O Gênio e as Rosas | The Genie and the Roses | |
| Viagens | Journeys | |
| Vida | Life | |
| 2005 | O Zahir | The Zahir |
| Caminhos Recolhidos | Revived Paths | |
| 2006 | Ser como um rio que flui | Like the Flowing River |
| A bruxa de Portobello | The Witch of Portobello | |
| 2008 | O vencedor está só | The Winner Stands Alone |
| 2009 | Amor | Love |
| 2010 | Aleph | Aleph |
| 2011 | Fábulas | |
| 2012 | Manuscrito Encontrado em Accra | Manuscript Found in Accra |
| 2014 | Adultério | Adultery |
Não Pare na Pista[edit]
The Pilgrim – the Best Story of Paulo Coelho is the international title for the film Não Pare na Pista, a movie about Coelho's life (official trailer). A co-production between Brazil’s Dama Filmes, led by Carolina Kotscho and Iôna de Macedo, Angélica Huete’s Babel Films in Spain and directed by Daniel Augusto. Ravel and Júlio Andrade play the young and old Coelho, and other cast members include international names such as Fabiana Gugli, Nancho Novo and Paz Vega. Those working on the film include Pedro Almodovar’s regular art director Antxón Gómez and Oscar-winning make-up artists Montse Ribé and David Marti.
De Macedo told Screen: "The film tells the story of a man who has a dream. It’s a little like Alice in Wonderland – he’s someone who is too big for his house." The film, shot in Portuguese, had its premiere in Brazilian Theaters on 2014, was internationally distributed by Picture Tree on 2015, according to Variety.[15]
Social media[edit]
Paulo Coelho is the writer with the largest community online. As for October 2015, the author has more than 28 million fans only on his Facebook main page and more than 10 million followers on Twitter . He also has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr, among others. He manages his own social communities and has a strong interaction with his readers. Coelho discussed his relationship with readers through social media platforms with The Wall Street Journal in August 2014.[16]
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