Paulo Coelho For the paralympian athlete, see Paulo de Almeida in his life.[6][9] On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awak- Coelho. ening, which he described autobiographically in The Pil- grimage.[10] In an interview, Coelho stated "[In 1986], I was very happy in the things I was doing. I was do- Paulo Coelho (Portuguese: [ˈpawlu kuˈeʎu]; born August ing something that gave me food and water – to use the 24, 1947), is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He is the re- cipient of numerous international awards, amongst them metaphor in "The Alchemist", I was working, I had a per- son whom I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. The [11] Alchemist, his most famous novel, has been translated into my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer.” 80 languages.[1] The author has sold 165 million copies Coelho would leave his lucrative career as a songwriter worldwide and is the all-time bestselling Portuguese lan- and pursue writing full-time. guage author. 2 Writing career 1 Biography In 1982 Coelho published his first book, Hell Archives, [8] Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil[2] and attended a Jesuit which failed to make a substantial impact. In 1986 he school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. contributed to the Practical Manual of Vampirism, al- though he later tried to take it off the shelves since he con- Upon telling his mother this, she responded with “My [8] dear, your father is an engineer. He’s a logical, reasonable sidered it “of bad quality.” After making the pilgrim- man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actu- age to Santiago de Compostela in 1986, Coelho wrote ally know what it means to be a writer?"[2] After research- The Pilgrimage. The following year, Coelho wrote The ing, which was common for him since he was a policy de- Alchemist and published it through a small Brazilian pub- lishing house who made an initial print run of 900 copies bater when he was in high school, Coelho concluded that [12] a writer “always wears glasses and never combs his hair” and decided not to reprint. He subsequently found a and has a “duty and an obligation never to be understood bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his by his own generation,” amongst other things.[2] At 17, next book Brida, The Alchemist took off. Harper Collins, Coelho’s introversion and opposition to following a tradi- the biggest publishing House in the United States, de- tional path led to his parents committing him to a mental cided to publish the book in 1994. Then, it became first a Brazilian bestseller, later a world-wide phenomenon.[12] institution from which he escaped three times before be- ing released at the age of 20.[3][4] Coelho later remarked The Alchemist has gone on to sell more than 65 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling books in history, 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, and has been translated into 80 different languages, win- [5] ning the Guinness World Record for most translated book they did that to save me.” At his parents’ wishes, Coelho [8][13] enrolled in law school and abandoned his dream of be- by a living author. coming a writer. One year later, he dropped out and lived The Alchemist, easily known as his most successful story, life as a hippie, traveling through South America, North is a story about a young shepherd who follows his spiritual Africa, Mexico, and Europe and started using drugs in the journey to the Egyptian pyramids in search of a treasure. [6][7] 1960s. Upon his return to Brazil, Coelho worked as Since the publication of The Alchemist, Coelho has gen- a songwriter, composing lyrics for Elis Regina, Rita Lee, erally written one novel every two years including By the and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. Composing with Raul River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Fifth Mountain, led to Paulo being associated with magic and occultism, [8] Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym, Eleven due to the content of some songs. In 1974, Coelho was Minutes, Like the Flowing River, The Valkyries, The Win- arrested for “subversive” activities by the ruling military ner Stands Alone, The Witch of Portobello, Aleph (novel) government, who had taken power ten years earlier and [5] and Adultery. While trying to overcome his procrastina- viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous. Coelho tion of launching his writing career, Coelho said, “If I see also worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director [8] a white feather today, that is a sign that God is giving me before pursuing his writing career. that I have to write a new book.” Coelho found a white In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santi- feather in the window of a shop, and began writing that ago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point day.[10] 1 2 7 REFERENCES In total, Coelho has published 30 books. Three of them 6 Social media and official app – The Pilgrimage,The Valkyries and Aleph – are autobi- ographical, while the majority of the rest are fictional, Paulo Coelho is the writer with the largest community on- [6] although rooted in his life experiences. Others, like line. The author has more than 25 million fans only on his Maktub and The Manual of the Warrior of Light, are col- Facebook main page and more than 10 million followers lections of essays, newspaper columns, or selected teach- on Twitter. He also has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest ings. In total, Coelho has sold more than 150 million and Tumblr, among others. He manages his own social books in over 150 countries worldwide (224 territories), communities and has a strong interaction with his readers. [7][8] and his works have been translated into 80 languages. Coelho discussed his relationship with readers through He is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author. social media platforms with The Wall Street Journal in Coelho also writes up to three blog posts a week at his August 2014.[16] [14] blog. In 2014, Coelho launched a free Notegraphy app to ac- cess his online content (Facebook page, Twitter, blog, and YouTube channel), as well as daily quotes and up- 3 The Alchemist dates in Portuguese, Spanish and English that respond to daily comments sent in by readers via social media. [17] The Alchemist (novel) has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story is about an Andalusian shep- herd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland 7 References in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. No one knows what the treasure [1] “The Alchemist (Coelho) Background”. Retrieved 16 is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles November 2013. along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find [2] Thind, Jessi An Interview with Paulo Coelho MSN Arabia worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. [3] Schaertl, Markia The Boy from Ipanema: Interview with Paulo Coelho reposted on Paulo Coelho’s Blog. December Many celebrities have declared The Alchemist as their fa- 20, 2007. vorite novel. Bill Clinton was spotted with a copy of the book, and Will Smith, Madonna, and many others have [4] Doland, Angela Brazilian author Coelho thrives on con- declared it is their favorite novel. In 2014, Oprah Winfrey tradictions and extremes Oakland Tribune republished on BNet. May 20, 2007. interviewed pop star Pharrell Williams, who explained that The Alchemist changed his life.[12] [5] Day, Elizabeth A mystery even to himself The Daily Tele- graph. June 14, 2005. [6] An interview with Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho: Every- 4 Bibliography body is a Magus Life Positive. July 2000. [7] Life and Letters: The Magus The New Yorker. May 7, 5 Não Pare na Pista 2007. [8] Biography Official Site of Paulo Coelho. The Pilgrim – the Best Story of Paulo Coelho is the interna- [9] Teacher’s Guide to The Alchemist Harper Collins Pub- tional title for the film Não Pare na Pista, a movie about lisher. Coelho’s life (official trailer). A co-production between Brazil’s Dama Filmes, led by Carolina Kotscho and Iôna [10] Reiss, Valerie Paulo Coelho Dances with Angels Beliefnet. de Macedo, and Angélica Huete’s Babel Films in Spain, [11] Interview with Paulo Coelho BBC World Service Book the movie has been directed by Daniel Augusto. Ravel Club. December 2004. and Júlio Andrade play the young and old Coelho, and other cast members include international names such as [12] A Brief History of the Book Saint Jordi Asociados Fabiana Gugli, Nancho Novo and Paz Vega. Those work- [13] Film to be made of Coelho’s 'Alchemist AFP. May 19, ing on the film include Pedro Almodovar’s regular art di- 2008. rector Antxón Gómez and Oscar-winning make-up artists Montse Ribé and David Marti. [14] “Paulo Coelho’s Blog”. Paulocoelhoblog.com. 2011-10- 08. Retrieved 2011-11-11. De Macedo told Screen: “The film tells the story of a man who has a dream. It’s a little like Alice in Wonderland – [15] “Picture Tree Acquires Paulo Coelho Biopic ‘The Pil- he’s someone who is too big for his house.” The film, shot grim’". PMC. Retrieved 5 August 2014. in Portuguese, had its premiere in Brazilian Theaters on [16] Gamerman, Ellen (14 August 2014).