Paulo Coelho - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

29/10/2015 10:50

Paulo Coelho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the paralympian athlete, see Paulo de Almeida Coelho.

Paulo Coelho (Portuguese: [pawlu kueu]; 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

Paulo Coelho

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) .
Paulo Coelho in 2008

Contents
1 Biography
2 Writing career
3 The Alchemist
4 Bibliography
5 No Pare na Pista
6 Social media
7 Paulo Coelho Foundation
8 References
9 External links

Born

August 24, 1947

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Occupation

Novelist

Language

Portuguese

Nationality

Brazilian

Notable works

The Alchemist , Brida

Biography
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
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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 fulltime.

Writing career
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. 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] 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 trsor .
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]
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Coelho also writes up to three blog posts a week at his blog.[14]

The Alchemist
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
Year Portuguese title
1974

English title

O Manifesto de KrigThe Manifest of Krig-h

h

1974 Teatro da Educao

Theater For Education

1982 Arquivos do Inferno

Hell Archives

1986

O Manual Prtico do
Practical Manual of Vampirism
Vampirismo

1987

O Dirio de Um
Mago

The Pilgrimage

1988 O Alquimista

The Alchemist

1990 Brida

Brida

1991 O Dom Supremo

The Supreme Gift

1992 As Valkrias

The Valkyries

Maktub

Maktub

1994 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
Love Letters from a Prophet
profeta
Manual do guerreiro
da luz

Veronika decide
1998 morrer
Palavras essenciais
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho

Manual of the Warrior of Light

Veronika Decides to Die
Essential Words
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2000 O Demnio e a srta

Prym
2001

Histrias para pais,

filhos e netos

2003 Onze Minutos

E no stimo dia
2004 O Gnio e as Rosas
Viagens

2005

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The Devil and Miss Prym

Fathers, Sons and Grandsons
Eleven Minutes
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)
The Genie and the Roses
Journeys

Vida

Life

O Zahir

The Zahir

Caminhos Recolhidos Revived Paths

Ser como um rio que

Like the Flowing River
2006 flui
A bruxa de Portobello The Witch of Portobello
2008 O vencedor est s

The Winner Stands Alone

2009 Amor

Love

2010 Aleph

Aleph

2011 Fbulas
2012

Manuscrito
Manuscript Found in Accra
Encontrado em Accra

2014 Adultrio

Adultery

No Pare na Pista
The Pilgrim the Best Story of Paulo Coelho is the international title for the film No Pare na Pista, a
movie about Coelho's life (official trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzT5WtCtG5k)). A coproduction between Brazils Dama Filmes, led by Carolina Kotscho and Ina de Macedo, Anglica Huetes
Babel Films in Spain and directed by Daniel Augusto. Ravel and Jlio 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 Almodovars regular art director Antxn Gmez and Oscarwinning make-up artists Montse Rib and David Marti.
De Macedo told Screen: "The film tells the story of a man who has a dream. Its a little like Alice in
Wonderland hes 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
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
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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]

Paulo Coelho Foundation

In November 2014, Paulo Coelho finished uploading around 80,000 documents-manuscripts, diaries, photos,
reader letters, press clippings-and created a virtual Paulo Coelho Foundation [1]
(http://pcfoundation.wpengine.com/foundation/index-paulo-coelho.php?idioma=ingles), together with the
physical foundation which is based in Geneva [2]
(https://www.google.es/maps/place/Chemin+du+Velours+26,+1231+Conches,+Suiza/@46.190695,6.167517
7,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x478c7ab1420e9b25:0x5738c7e0a08fe749?hl=es).

References
1. "The Alchemist (Coelho) Background". Retrieved 16 November 2013.
2. Thind, Jessi An Interview with Paulo Coelho (http://www.arabia.msn.com/Kids/March2007/paulocoelho.aspx) MSN
Arabia
3. Schaertl, Markia The Boy from Ipanema: Interview with Paulo Coelho
(http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2007/12/19/paulo-coelho-interview-by-marika-schaertl-focus-munich/) reposted on
Paulo Coelho's Blog. December 20, 2007.
4. Doland, Angela Brazilian author Coelho thrives on contradictions and extremes
(http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070520/ai_n19164355) Oakland Tribune republished on BNet.
May 20, 2007.
5. Day, Elizabeth A mystery even to himself (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3643720/A-mysteryeven-to-himself.html) The Daily Telegraph. June 14, 2005.
6. An interview with Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho: Everybody is a Magus
(http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/traditional-paths/sorcery/coelho.asp) Life Positive. July 2000.
7. Life and Letters: The Magus (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_goodyear) The New
Yorker. May 7, 2007.
8. Biography (http://www.paulocoelho.com.br/engl/bio.shtml) Official Site of Paulo Coelho. Cite error: Invalid <ref>
tag; name "officialbio" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
9. Teacher's Guide to The Alchemist
(http://www.harpercollins.com/harperimages/ommoverride/teacher_guide_alchemist.pdf) Harper Collins Publisher.
10. Reiss, Valerie Paulo Coelho Dances with Angels (http://www.beliefnet.com/Holistic-Living/2007/08/Paulo-CoelhoDances-With-Angels.aspx?p=2) Beliefnet.
11. Interview with Paulo Coelho (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/133_wbc_archive_new/page2.shtml) BBC
World Service Book Club. December 2004.
12. A Brief History of the Book (http://www.santjordi-asociados.com/titles/brief.htm?6#alchemist) Saint Jordi
Asociados
13. Film to be made of Coelho's 'Alchemist
(http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i07sUo0IODPVAktHfpCoY4f6kzAQ) AFP. May 19, 2008.
14. "Paulo Coelho's Blog". Paulocoelhoblog.com. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
15. "Picture Tree Acquires Paulo Coelho Biopic The Pilgrim". PMC. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
16. Gamerman, Ellen (14 August 2014). "Paulo Coelho, Fiction's Digital Alchemist". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved
2014-12-19.

External links
Sant Jordi Asociados, the literary agency that represents Paulo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho

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Wikiquote has quotations

Coelho world wide (http://www.santjordi-asociados.com)
related to: Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho -- The Alchemy of Pilgrimage Interview On
Being with Krista Tippett August 14, 2014
(http://www.onbeing.org/program/paulo-coelho-the-alchemyWikimedia Commons has
of-pilgrimage/6639)
media related to Paulo
Paulo Coelho and Ruthie DiTucci interview on
Coelho.
SyndicatedNews.NET November 10, 2010
(http://www.blogtalkradio.com/syndicatednews/2010/11/23/paolo-coelho-celebrates-the-20thanniversary-of-th)
Works by or about Paulo Coelho (http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n86-99875) in libraries (WorldCat
catalog)
Paulo Coelho official blog (http://paulocoelhoblog.com)
Appearance on Desert Island Discs, BBC-Radio July 4, 3 2005
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/desertislanddiscs_20050703.shtml)
Paulo Coelho on Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/566.Paulo_Coelho)
Interview given to the podcast 'Jovem Nerd' October 15, 2010
(http://jovemnerd.ig.com.br/nerdcast/nerdcast-231-paulo-coelho-nerdcast-com-o-mago/)
Books by Paulo Coelho (http://bookshub.org/author/paulo-coelho)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paulo_Coelho&oldid=687823780"

Categories: 1947 births Living people Brazilian bloggers Brazilian lyricists Brazilian novelists
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Converts to Roman Catholicism Esoteric Christianity Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
People from Rio de Janeiro (city) Portuguese-language writers Roman Catholic mystics
Roman Catholic writers United Nations Messengers of Peace Paulo Coelho Brazilian erotica writers
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