Paulo Coelho: “secret” biography of the writer. Success story of Paulo Coelho Belle Coelho biography

Paulo Coelho is a famous Brazilian poet and writer, best-selling author; many fans of the writer gave him the nickname “alchemist of words.” The reason for this is Paulo Coelho’s most successful book “The Alchemist”, which has become a modern classic. The parable novel “The Alchemist” managed to break several records:

circulation amounted to 60 million copies;
the book has been translated into 67 languages, and is the most translated work during the writer’s lifetime;
the best-selling novel in the entire literary history of Brazil, included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Success of Paulo Coelho

The writer's name is not mentioned in the lists of the richest or most influential people in the world, but quotes managed to spread all over the world. The news was that during Barack Obama's visit to Rio de Janeiro, the American President quoted Coelho's novel "Valkyries".

The achievements in the field of literature of the Brazilian author are often called a phenomenon of mass culture. Paulo Coelho's books are read by people from different countries, different cultures, segments of the population, genders and there are no boundaries in age either. According to the writer himself, it gives him great pleasure to watch how his stories help unite people.
You can chat with Paulo Coelho online on the website for free. To get acquainted with the writer’s work, we offer a selection of the writer’s popular books:

Brief biography of Paulo Coelho

The future writer was born in Rio de Janeiro in the family of an engineer and a housewife in 1947. He received his school education at a Jesuit school; it was during those years that Coelho realized his destiny as a writer. Then, at a school poetry competition, the author received his first award. His parents did not share their son’s interests, so following the will of his parents, he entered the Faculty of Law, which he soon dropped out of.

The father does not want to put up with the abnormal desire to write and sends his son to a psychiatric hospital. But neither the electric shock nor the course of treatment changed Paulo Coelho’s views on life. The writer escapes and begins an independent life.

In 1970 he traveled to South America, North Africa and Europe. In 1973, he joined the “Alternative Society”, which denied the values of capitalism and stood on the principles of individualism. In 1992, based on these events, the book “Valkyries” was published.

At 26, Paulo Coelho decides to settle down and start a new life. He gets a job, gets married, moves to London and writes a lot, but without success. A year later he returns to Brazil and files for divorce. Soon he remarried his longtime friend Christina Oitisia, with whom he lives to this day. In 1988, The Alchemist was published.

I devoted eleven years of my life to the study of alchemy. The mere possibility of turning metal into gold or discovering the Elixir of Immortality is too tempting for anyone taking their first steps in magic. I confess that the Elixir made a stronger impression on me, because until I realized and felt the existence of God, the thought that someday everything would end forever seemed unbearable to me. So, having learned about the possibility of creating a certain liquid that could prolong our earthly existence for many, many years, I decided to devote myself entirely to making this elixir.

Journalist Linda is 31 years old, and everyone believes that her well-being can only be envied: she lives in Switzerland, has a loving husband and children, and a decent job. However, Linda feels that every day she is sinking deeper into apathy, and can no longer pretend to be happy.

Everything changes when she meets her high school sweetheart. Jacob became a successful politician, and during an interview with him, Linda suddenly awakens what she had been missing: passion.

What is this book about? Just about life, about death, about love. And about that Madness, which cannot be gotten rid of under any circumstances... “Veronica Decides to Die” is a realistic story about the thirst for life in the face of death, calling to perceive every day as a miracle.

This is the most frank, the most naturalistic - and the most scandalous of Paulo Coelho's novels. A novel-story about a prostitute named Maria. It is she, a professional priestess of love, who will have to express the author’s doubts and thoughts about a problem that has long been brewing in modern society, but about which no one has yet dared to speak openly. “Our civilization has gone somewhere wrong, and it’s not about the ozone hole, not about the destruction of the Amazon forests, not about the extinction of panda bears, not about smoking, not about carcinogenic products and not about the crisis of the prison system, as the newspapers declare. Namely in the sphere of existence where Maria worked - in sex.”

As in all other books by Coelho, in “Eleven Minutes” each reader will find a response to his own questions that are important to him. But just as in other works, he will not receive ready-made answers to them. After all, the search for your own Truth is a purely personal matter. And, perhaps, it is the novel “Eleven Minutes” that will help someone find mental and physical harmony.

“DIARY OF A MAGIC”, or “Pilgrimage”, as this book is also called, is a description of Paulo Coelho’s journey along the legendary Way of Santiago, traveled by millions of pilgrims since the Middle Ages. In his search he meets mystical guides and demonic messengers, learns to understand the nature of truth, and to gain Power he becomes acquainted with the exercises and rituals of the mystical Order of RAM.

“The Diary of a Magician” occupies a crucial place in Coelho’s development as a writer. Although this is his first book, it is not inferior to the phenomenal “The Alchemist” in depth and search sense.

In 1986, when Paulo Coelho made his pilgrimage, only 400 people walked along the Way of Santiago. The year after the publication of The Diary of a Magician, more than half a million pilgrims walked along this Path.

The hero of "Valkyries" follows his dream, hoping to change his life. He travels to the Mojave Desert to meet his guardian angel and gain true knowledge about himself and the world. Paulo knows that the desert is not as lifeless and uninhabited as it might seem: according to his mentor J., it is fraught with new encounters and opportunities. Far from the chaos of worldly life, a young magician and a group of female warriors, the Valkyries, help Paulo achieve his goal.

Together with Paulo and his wife Chris, they embark on a journey - metaphysical and real, challenging their feelings and faith, but ultimately leading to True Love and True Knowledge.

Since 1988, since the release of the famous "The Alchemist", his novels, translated into 52 languages, have been considered cult books and to date have already sold more than thirty-five million books in 140 countries.

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 into the family of an engineer. Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a writer. But in the 60s in Brazil, art was banned by the military dictatorship. At that time, the word "artist" was synonymous with the words "homosexual", "communist", "drug addict" and "slacker". Worried about their son's future and trying to protect him from persecution by the authorities, his parents send 17-year-old Paulo to a psychiatric hospital. After leaving the hospital, Coelho becomes a hippie. He reads everything indiscriminately - from Marx and Lenin to the Bhagavad Gita. Then, he founded the underground magazine "2001", which discusses the problems of spirituality, Apocalypse. In addition, Paulo writes lyrics for anarchic songs. Rock star Raul Seixas, Brazilian Jim Morrison, made them so popular that Coelho became rich and famous overnight. He continues to look for himself: he works as a journalist in a newspaper, and tries to realize himself in theater directing and drama.

But soon the themes of his poems attracted the attention of the authorities. Coelho is accused of subversive anti-government activities, for which he is arrested three times and tortured.

After being released from prison, Coelho decides that it is time to settle down and become a normal person. He stops writing and makes a career with CBS Records. But one day he is fired without any explanation.

And then he decides to go traveling. A chance meeting in Amsterdam leads him to the Catholic order RAM, created in 1492. Here Paulo learned to understand the language of signs and omens that come our way. According to the ritual of the path, the order directs him on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. Having covered 80 kilometers along the legendary pilgrim trail, Coelho described this journey in his first book, Pilgrimage, published in 1987. It was soon followed by the second - "The Alchemist", which brought the author world fame.

"The Alchemist" still remains the best-selling book in the history of Brazil and is even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. In 2002, the Portuguese Journal de Letras, an authority on local literature and the literary market, announced that The Alchemist had sold more copies than any other book written in Portuguese in the history of the language.

Ten years later, in 2002, John Loudon wrote to Paulo: The Alchemist has become one of the most important books of recent years in our publishing house. We are proud of this book and its success. The story of its success with us is equal to the story described in this book! "HarperCollins included the release of an international version of the book, designed to meet the demand of its ever-growing army of fans around the world, as part of its anniversary celebrations in honor of its first publication.

Best of the day

Julia Roberts: "It's like music! The way he writes is beautiful!" (“Paulo Coelho, Alchemist of the Word”, documentary, Discovery/Polo de Imahem production).

Madonna: “The Alchemist” is a wonderful book about magic, dreams and treasures that we look for everywhere, but find on our doorstep” (interview with the German magazine “Sontag-Aktuel”).

Before publication in the United States, The Alchemist was published by small Spanish and Portuguese publishers. In Spain, the book did not enter the bestseller list until 1995. Seven years later, the Publishing Guild of Spain wrote that The Alchemist (Editorial Planet) was the best selling book of 2001 in Spain. In 2002, a Spanish publishing house prepared an unprecedented release of the collected works of Paulo Coelho. In Portugal, where more than a million copies of his books have been sold, Coelho is also considered the best-selling author (Editorial Pergaminho).

Mónica Antunes, who had collaborated with Paulo since 1989, founded the literary agency Sant Jordi Asociados in Barcelona in 1993, together with Carlos Eduardo Rangel, after reading two of his books to sell the rights to Coelho's works.

In May of that year, after the publication of The Alchemist in the United States, Monica offered the work to several international publishers. The Norwegian publishing house Ex Libris was the first to acquire the rights. Its owner, Oyvind Hagen, wrote to Monika: “This book made a strong and deep impression on me.” A few days later, the owner of the newly founded publishing house Anne Carriere Edition wrote in a response letter to Monica: “This is an amazing book, and I want to do everything in my power to make it a bestseller in France.”

In September 1993, The Alchemist topped the Australian bestseller list. The Sydney Morning Herald said: "This is the book of the year. A charming example of boundless grace and philosophical depth."

In April 1994, The Alchemist was released in France (Anne Quarry Edition). It received excellent reviews in the press, and the reading public received the book with delight. Thus, The Alchemist began its climb up the bestseller list. Two days before Christmas, Anne Carrière wrote to Monica: “I am sending you a list of bestsellers from France as a gift. We are in first place!” In every French list, this book was in first place, where it remained for five years. After such phenomenal success in France, Paulo Coelho's books ceased to be a purely literary phenomenon and, having secured the support of Europe, began their triumphal march throughout the world.

Since then, each of Coelho's six novels, translated into French, managed to top the bestseller lists, holding positions for several months. Once, three novels simultaneously topped the top ten.

The novel “By the Piedra River I Sat and Wept,” published in Brazil by the Rocca publishing house, confirmed the international status of the writer. In this book, Paulo addresses the feminine side of human nature.

In 1995, The Alchemist was published in Italy (Bompiani) and immediately took first position on the bestseller list. The following year, Paulo Coelho was awarded two prestigious Italian awards - Super Grinzane Cavour and Flaiano International.

In 1996, Editorial Objetiva acquired the rights to The Fifth Mountain with an advance of one million dollars, the largest ever received by a Brazilian author. In the same year, Paulo was awarded the title "Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres", and Philippe Doust-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture, said: “You have become an alchemist for millions of readers. Your books do good: they encourage us to dream and lead us on a quest spiritual truth." Also in 1996, Coelho was appointed special adviser to the UNESCO program "Spiritual Common Ground and Intercultural Dialogues".

In 1997, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, his publishers, together with representatives of Diogenes and Sant Jordi, threw a party in honor of Paulo and in honor of the then upcoming international publication of The Fifth Mountain. This happened in March 1998, and the main celebrations took place in Paris. Paulo was delighted by his success at the Salon du Livre, where he signed his books for more than seven hours. His French publisher, Anne Carrière, organized a dinner in his honor at the Louvre Museum. This dinner was attended by several hundred celebrities and journalists.

In January 2000, Umberto Eco, in an interview for Focus, said: “I like Coelho’s latest novel. It really makes a deep impression on me.” Sinead O'Connor told the Irish Sunday Independent: "The most incredible book I have ever read is Veronica Decides to Die."

In the fall of 1998, Paulo toured Asia and Eastern Europe, starting in Istanbul, traveling on the Orient Express through Bulgaria and ending in Riga.

Lear magazine (March 1999) declared him the second best-selling author of 1998 worldwide.

In 1999, Coelho was awarded the prestigious Crystal Award. As it was said at the International Economic Forum, "Paulo united such different cultures with the power of words, which is why he deserves this award." From 1998 to this day, Paulo remains an honorary member of the International Economic Forum. In 2000 he was elected to the board of the Swabian Foundation for Social Enterprise.

In 1999, the French government awarded him the title of Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honor.

That same year, Paulo took part in the book fair in Buenos Aires, where he demonstrated the book “Veronica Decides to Die.” The visitors' reaction to Paulo's unexpected presence was highly emotional. All media outlets agreed that none of the other authors could gather such a large audience. "Colleagues who have worked at the book fair for the past 25 years claim that they have not seen anything like it, even when Borges was alive. This is an exceptional case. I don’t think I will ever see another writer evoke such a reaction. Impossible to describe in words, the admiration that Paulo awakens in people,” reports Lydia Maria of V&R. One day, a line of people wanting an autograph formed four hours before the appointed time, and the fair managers agreed to extend the working hours so that no one would leave disappointed.

In May 2000, Paulo arrived in Iran and became the first non-Muslim writer to visit the country on an official visit since 1979. He was invited by the International Center for Dialogue among Civilizations. It is estimated that millions of pirated copies of his books had already been sold before this visit (Iran has never signed international copyright agreements). Paulo Coelho also became the first non-Muslim writer to receive royalties for publishing his books in this country. Before this, he could not have hoped for such a warm welcome and widespread recognition in a country so different from Western countries. Thousands of Iranian readers came to listen to him and sign books.

In September, The Devil and Signorita Prim was published simultaneously in Italy (Bompiani), Portugal (Pergaminho) and Brazil (Objectiva). During the days of the first edition, Paulo gave dozens of interviews to international media in his home in Rio de Janeiro. At the same time, the existence of the Paulo Coelho Institute, which he founded with his wife, Cristina Oitisia, in 1996, was publicly announced for the first time. The purpose of this organization is to provide assistance and opportunities for social adaptation to disadvantaged sections of Brazilian society, primarily children and the elderly.

In 2001, the book continued to be published worldwide and appeared on bestseller lists in the thirty languages into which it had been translated by then.

In 2001, Paulo was awarded the BAMBI, Germany's oldest and most honorable award. According to the jury, the author’s conviction that every person is destined to become a “warrior of light” in this dark world contains a deep humanistic meaning, which acquired a particularly tragic resonance in connection with the events of that year.

Also in 2001, Paulo visited Colombia for the first time and took part in the Bogota Book Fair. Thousands of fans awaiting the arrival of their idol greeted him as loudly as if some pop star had appeared before them. Paulo called for calm and patience, promising to sign all the books. In just five hours, 4,000 copies were signed and sold.

In September, Coelho visited the Borders bookshop in London, where he also signed his books. The signing ceremony for The Devil and Signorita Prim (HarperCollins) was "undoubtedly the biggest event of the year," according to master of ceremonies Finn Lawrence. It was visited by residents of all five continents - guests from Japan, Pakistan, Angola, America and all European countries. In November, Coelho traveled to Mexico, where thousands of readers waited for hours at a book fair in Guadalajara.

In early 2002, Paulo traveled to China for the first time, where he visited Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, taking part in various events, including signature signings and meetings with readers.

On July 25, 2002, Paulo Coelho became a member of the Brazilian Academy of Literature (ABL). By general agreement, he was given chair number 21. The purpose of this academy, whose headquarters is in Rio de Janeiro, is the preservation of Brazilian culture and language. Immediately after his election, Paulo received more than three thousand messages from readers and became the main subject of news throughout the country. When the writer went out that day, the fans who had gathered at the door of his house greeted him with applause. Despite the warm recognition of millions, Coelho was sometimes attacked by some literary critics, which is why his election to membership in the Academy became such an important social event.

In September 2002, Paulo created a real sensation by traveling to Russia with five of his books, which simultaneously entered the local bestseller list: "The Devil and Signorita Prim" (number one), followed by "The Alchemist", "The Book of the Warrior of Light", " Veronica decides to die" and "The Fifth Mountain" (Sofia publishing house). In just two weeks, over 250,000 copies of his books were sold in Russia, and in a year - a total of more than a million. According to the commercial director of the M D K network, the book signing ceremony here has acquired the widest scale. “We have never seen so many readers come to have their favorite author leave his signature on books. We have held many events in our bookstore. Previously, we have had such influential guests as ex-presidents Yeltsin and Gorbachev and even the current "President Putin, but we have never had so many visitors. It was a truly incredible event. We even had to turn away hundreds of readers trying to join the huge crowd."

In October 2002, Paulo received the Planetary Arts Award from the Budapest Club in Frankfurt, where former US President Bill Clinton gave a eulogy in his honor.

Paulo constantly maintains contact with the media through numerous interviews, as well as articles in newspapers and magazines. Over the course of several years, he wrote many articles and essays for all the most influential publications.

In March 1998, Coelho began writing a daily column for the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. It was such a success among readers that Sant Jordi invited him to write columns in other international publications. Four years later, they are still published in newspapers such as Mexico's Reforma.

Coelho's columns appeared regularly in Corriere della Sera (Italy), El Semanal (Spain), Ta Nea (Greece), TV-Hören + Seen and Welt am Sonntag (Germany), Anna (Estonia), "Zwiertsadlo" (Poland), "El Universo" (Ecuador), "El Nacional" (Venezuela), "El Espectador" (Colombia), "China Times Daily" (Taiwan) and many other periodicals.

Bibliography:

- “Pilgrimage” or “Daytime Magician”, 1987

- "The Alchemist", 1988, Russian translation. 1998

- "Brida", 1990

- "Valkyries", 1992

- "Maktub", 1994

- “Near the Rio Piedra River I sat down and cried...”, 1994, Russian. lane 2002

- "Fifth Mountain", 1996, Russian translation. 2001

- "The Book of the Warrior of Light", 1997, Russian translation. 2002

- "Love Letters of a Prophet", 1997

- “Veronica Decides to Die”, 1998, Russian translation. 2001

- “The Devil and Senorita Prim”, 2000, Russian translation. 2002

- "Fathers, sons and grandfathers", 2001

- “Eleven minutes”, 2003, Russian translation. 2003

Paulo Coelho has received many prestigious awards:

· "Prix Lectrices d"Elle" (France "95)

· "Knight of Arts and Letters" (France "96)

· "Flaiano International Award" (Italy "96)

· "Super Grinzane Cavour Book Award" (Italy "96)

· "Golden Book" (Yugoslavia "95, "96, "97, "98, "99 and 2000)

· Finalist for the "International IMPAC Literary Award" (Ireland, "97 and 2000)

· "Comendador de Ordem do Rio Branco" (Brazil "98)

· "Crystal Award" by the World Economic Forum ("99)

· "Golden Medal of Galicia" (Spain, "99)

· "Chevalier de L"Ordre national de la Legion d"honneur" (France "99)

· "Crystal Mirror Award" (Poland, 2000)

· "Dialog of Cultures" awarded by the "Club of Budapest" (Germany, 2001)

· "XXIII Premio Internazionale Fregene" (Italy, 2001)

· "Bambi 2001 Award" (Germany, 2001)

new book by Paulo Coelho There is only one winner
Aart 14.04.2009 08:54:56

I read the book "The Winner Stands Alone" in one sitting.
It is completely different from Paulo Coelho's previous novels. The book is about valuables that were lost and never found again. The book seems like a thriller, but it's not - the heroes are trapped and manipulated by the people, whom Coelho calls the "super class". It seems to me that you will either like the novel or not, it is completely different from traditional novels.
Personally, I'm delighted!
Paulo Coelho is one of the few writers who always amazes with his originality of narratives.
Thanks to him for an excellent new novel! highly recommend!

(1947)

The biography of Paulo Coelho, like any extraordinary person, is full of interesting events, unexpected turns, and drama.

The future world-famous writer was born on August 24, 1947 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), in the family of an engineer. Paulo, since childhood, dreamed of writing. However, in Brazil in the 1960s, art was banned by the ruling military clique. Contradictions between the desires of the young man and the demands of his parents, who wanted him to become an engineer, led to the fact that at the age of 17 (1966) Paulo Coelho ended up in a psychiatric hospital. He spent three whole years there, undergoing electroshock treatment. Later, from all the thoughts and experiences of this period, a novel was born with the title “Veronica Decides to Die.”

After leaving the hospital, yielding to the demands of his parents, Paulo Coelho enters the law faculty of the university. However, a year later he leaves it and joins the ranks of the hippies. Traveling around Europe and America, Paulo reads a lot. The range of his literary interests is excessively wide - he is fascinated by serious philosophical treatises, the works of the ideologists of Marxism-Leninism, and he also does not ignore the tabloid press.

In 1973, Paulo Coelho, who returned to Brazil, organized a movement against the reactionary regime ruling in this country. He publishes the underground magazine "2001", which discusses the problems of spirituality in society. During the same period, Coelho tried himself as a composer. His anti-government songs performed by Brazilian rock star Raul Seijas became hits. Some of the 120 pieces of music created at that time are still popular today. Collaboration with a rock singer brought Paulo fame and wealth.

However, the future writer’s speeches against the dictatorial regime of Brazil did not go unpunished. The reactionary government of this country wrote the most tragic pages in the biography of Paulo Coelho. He was convicted three times and was repeatedly tortured in prison. The personal experiences and experiences of this period of the writer’s life later resulted in his wonderful work - “Valkyries”, published in 1992.

Before the fateful meeting in Amsterdam in 1982, Coelho tried himself in various fields - journalism, drama, production... His whole life changes dramatically after meeting one of the members of the Catholic order "RAM", which has existed since 1492. Having joined the order, Paolo makes a mandatory pilgrimage for members of the order to Santiago de Compostella, walking 80 kilometers from France to Spain. From this moment begins a new biography of Paolo Coelho, who, having returned from a journey along the medieval path, found himself, finally found the main work of his life. In 1987, the writer’s first book entitled “Pilgrimage” was published, in which he talked about his journey and the rebirth that happened to him. The thoughts that accompanied Paelo on the road of ancient pilgrims also penetrated into his other work, “The Alchemist,” which was published the following year and brought world fame to the author.

The writer's creative heritage, 16 books, has been translated into 52 languages, more than 35 million copies of his books have been sold in 140 countries. His last works were: “There is only one winner” (2008), “Aleph” (2010).

In Russia, the works of the writer, who visited our country in 2002, are deservedly popular.

Paulo Coelho has many prestigious awards awarded to him on behalf of countries such as France, Italy, Germany, etc.

Together with his wife, Cristina Oitisia, he spends most of his time in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, and sometimes lives in Europe.

Whatever he is called - an alchemist of words or a phenomenon of mass culture - Paulo Coelho remains the most authoritative writer of the new century. Readers from more than 150 countries, regardless of their religious or national affiliation, recognized him as the leading prose writer of our time. His books, translated into many languages, not only top bestseller lists, but also generate socio-cultural controversy and debate. The philosophical background, ideas and plots of his books touch subtle strings in the souls of millions of readers looking for their way to comprehend the world. The total circulation of his books in all languages exceeds 300 million.

Paulo Coelho believes that if you follow your dreams, you can earn millions, achieve love, success and everything we dream about. That's exactly what happened to him.

Success Story, Biography of Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 in the family of engineer Pedro Coelho (Paulo's mother's name was Ligia). Since childhood, he dreamed of becoming a writer; this desire first manifested itself in him at the Jesuit school of St. Ignatius of Loyola, where Paulo was sent at the age of seven. The desire to become a writer did not find understanding among his family (in the 60s in Brazil, art was banned by the military dictatorship, at that time the word “artist” was synonymous with the words “homosexual”, “communist”, “drug addict” and “slacker”), Therefore, under their pressure, he enters the Faculty of Law at the University of Rio de Janeiro. However, he soon quits his studies and begins to engage in journalism.

Difficult childhood of Paulo Coelho

Disagreements between Paulo and his parents grew worse after leaving the university. The inflexibility of his loved ones and Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer”, which turned up at the right time, awakened a spirit of contradiction in Paulo, and he began to violate the rules of behavior accepted in the family. The last straw in the patience of his mother and father was the fact that Paulo began reciting his own poems at beach parties. Either worrying about their son's future and trying to protect him from persecution by the authorities, or considering his rebellion to be a mental illness, the parents send seventeen-year-old Paulo to a psychiatric hospital, where he undergoes shock therapy twice.

Soon after leaving the clinic, Paulo briefly became friends with actors from the same theater troupe. In the eyes of the inhabitants of that time, the theater was a hotbed of immorality and debauchery. Frightened parents broke their promise not to touch him again and sent their son to a hospital for the third time. Coming out of it, Paulo withdrew into himself and focused on his experiences. In desperation, the parents turned to another doctor, who explained to them that Paulo was not crazy and that he should not be kept in a mental hospital. He just needs to learn to live in this world.

Thirty years after these events, Paulo Coelho wrote the book “Veronica Decides to Die.” As Paulo himself writes, “Veronica Decides to Die” was published in Brazil in 1998. By September, I had received over 1,200 emails describing similar incidents and experiences. In October, some of the book's themes—depression, panic, suicide—were discussed at a conference that received a national response. On January 22 of the following year, Senator Eduardo Suplisi read excerpts from my book in plenary session, which helped the Brazilian Congress finally pass a law that had been discussed for ten years - the “Law Prohibiting Forced Hospitalization.”

Having survived this difficult period, Paulo returned to his studies. It seemed that he had finally come to terms with the lifestyle his parents had chosen for him. However, he did not study for long and soon returned to the theater. This was in the sixties, when the hippie movement swept across the world. New trends have not spared Brazil either.

In the late 1960s, Paulo became a full-fledged member of the Brazilian underground, wore a hippie hairstyle, was fond of drugs and deliberately never carried an ID card, and also voraciously read the works of the famous mystic Aleister Crowley. In those years, he founded the underground magazine “2001”, in which problems of spirituality are discussed, Apocalypse, however, he managed to publish only two issues.

Rebellion and the fight for freedom

In the early 70s, while traveling, he visited countries such as Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and visited Europe and North Africa. The wanderings lasted a couple of years, after which Coelho returned to Brazil and began writing poetry.

For some time, Paulo Coelho wrote lyrics of an anarchic nature for the rock singer Raul Seixas. As a result, Seixas became a superstar (their second album was a huge success, it sold more than 500,000 copies - for the first time in Paulo’s life he earned decent money), and the most famous song between them and Coelho is still “Sociedade Alternativa”. At that time, teenagers all over Brazil heard its refrain: “ Do what you want - that's the whole law. Long live the alternative community: Number 666 is Aleister Crowley" During their entire collaboration, until 1976, he and Raul Seixas composed more than sixty songs that literally transformed Brazilian rock music.

“It would be great if every person in their youth could show their rebellion. After all, without knowing the other side of the coin, you are just an innocent lamb. Of course, such an experience can be dangerous, but you can learn the limits of your capabilities.”

In 1973, Paulo and Raul joined the “Alternative Society” - an organization whose members denied the values of capitalism, declared the individual’s right to free expression, and at the same time practiced black magic. Paulo later described this period in the book Valkyries. During the same period, friends began to publish a series of comics, Kring-ha, which promoted the idea of freedom.

Soon their joint activities attracted the attention of the authorities. In 1974, the Brazilian military dictatorship considered Coelho a subversive element and imprisoned him. Raul was also arrested, but he was soon released, and Paulo remained in prison longer, because he was considered the “brain of the criminal group”, the true author of these “subversive” pictures and texts. Suspected of involvement in the partisan movement, he was tortured for a week by applying electricity to his genitals.

Two days after his release, he was grabbed on the street and again thrown into a torture chamber, where he spent several days. Coelho's past unexpectedly helped him get out of prison: he declared his insanity and said that he had been sent to a psychiatric hospital three times. In front of the executioners, he began to inflict physical harm on himself, after which the torture stopped, he was declared insane and released.

“I was sent to prison not because I consciously went against the system, but simply because I wrote songs that some considered revolutionary. I was unaware of this danger then, and when I was thrown into prison, and then when I was kidnapped and tortured by a paramilitary group, all I felt was fear. When I was released from prison, I had to reinvent myself because the experience completely devastated me. This cruelty and this horror gave me nothing. I am now doing everything in my power to condemn torture and fight this evil as a UN Messenger of Peace.”

After his experience, Paulo temporarily abandoned his vigorous propaganda activities. At twenty-six, he decided that he had had enough of experimenting and it was time to become “normal.” He got a job at the Poligram recording company, where he met his future wife Sissa (more accurate and detailed biography of Paulo Coelho you can read here - http://lib.rus.ec/b/375308/read- “Mag. Biography of Paolo Coelho” - author Fernando Morais, translation by Alexander Bogdanovsky. This book tells in detail about the writer’s personal life, his passion for magic, his addiction to drugs...).

In 1977, the couple moved to London. Paulo bought a typewriter and began to write, without much success, however. Month after month passed, and he did not write a single line of the book that he had so long and passionately dreamed of. He had to admit defeat, which he did, writing words in his diary that were not intended for prying eyes:

“A series of refusals. Whatever I sent to competitions was rejected. I just received another refusal. All the women I tried to conquer rejected me. When I say “everything,” it’s not to enhance the image. I want to say that there was not a single exception.

From early childhood I dreamed of becoming a writer, living and creating abroad and gaining worldwide fame. And London, of course, was a step towards this dream. However, the results were not what I expected. My first and greatest disappointment is myself. For six months the situation around me has been conducive to unprecedented inspiration, but I can’t pull myself together and write even a line.”

A year later he returned to Brazil, where he became an administrator at another record company, CBS Records. There he began writing stories for biographical films and soap operas. Paulo knew how to succeed, step by step he climbed the career ladder until one fine day he was fired without any explanation. Around the same time, Paulo divorced his wife and met an old girlfriend, Cristina Oitisia, whom he later married and still lives with. The couple spent their honeymoon in Europe.

Return to Catholicism

Hippie, journalist, rock star, actor, playwright, theater director and television producer - this whirlwind life ended in 1982 during a trip to Europe. In Dachau, while visiting the concentration camp museum and later in Amsterdam, Paulo had a mystical meeting with a certain “J,” a man whom the writer calls the Teacher. He brings Coelho into the Catholic order RAM (Regnus Agnus Mundi), created in 1492. Here Paulo learns to recognize the language of signs and omens encountered on a person’s path (in fact, this organization is a Catholic sect - one can consider it a kind of “Opus Dei” for hippie).

“Every living person must know two languages - the language of society and the language of signs (omens). One is needed to communicate with one’s own kind, the other is needed to understand messages from above.”

According to the ritual of the path, the order sends him on a pilgrimage tour to Santiago de Compostella. Having covered eighty kilometers along the legendary pilgrim trail, Coelho described this tour in his first book, “Pilgrimage” (also called “The Diary of a Magician”), published in 1987. The book tells that miracles happen in the lives of the most ordinary people. It was published by a small Brazilian publishing house and sold well, although it did not attract serious attention from critics.

Every time Paulo Coelho releases a new book, he lives for a while in anxiety and fear, like a newcomer. It has always been this way. After writing his first book, he and his wife Cristina Oiticica handed out flyers at the entrances to theaters and cinemas in Rio de Janeiro, and then visited bookstores in the southern part of the city to find out how many copies had been sold. Twenty years have passed, the methods and techniques of sales have changed, but the writer remains the same: by mobile phone or via the Internet from a laptop - no matter where he is on the planet - he controls the distribution of a new book, the reaction of the media, the place in the bestseller lists from Fiery Lands to Greenland, from Alaska to Australia.

In 1988, Paulo wrote a further, completely different book called The Alchemist. It is a highly symbolic narrative, a metaphor for life's journey. By that time, Paulo had been studying alchemy for eleven years, and this experience was reflected in the book. Of the first printing, however, only 900 copies were sold, and the publishing house decided not to reprint this book.

"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

In June 1988, as The Alchemist was being prepared for release, The Diary of a Magician surpassed 40,000 copies and remained on the national bestseller list for nineteen consecutive weeks. The disdainful indifference with which the grandees of the Brazilian press treated him disappeared, which gave a special, unique taste to the victory won both by the book itself and by the guerrilla war that Paulo and Cristina waged while promoting The Magician. With regard to The Alchemist, they used the same tactics that had proven so fruitful with The Magician: the couple handed out flyers at the doors of cinemas, theaters, bars, visited bookstores and left autographed copies for sellers.

From the world of sound recording, Paulo borrowed and brought into the world of literature the reprehensible practice of so-called “jeans,” that is, pre-paid reports or stories that speak flatteringly about a particular disc (here, a book). You can find traces of “jeans” in the materials preserved in the writer’s archive that were aired on Povo AM-FM, a highly rated radio station in the city of Fortaleza (Ceará state). The reports sent to him prove that throughout the second half of July, “The Alchemist” was the object of “witness comments” (a coded allegory denoting uncontrollably flattering praise), aired three times a day on the programs of Carlos Augusto, Renan França and Ronaldo Cesar, at that time the most popular presenters.

Paulo Coelho and his wife Cristina clearly understood that in war all means are fair. From sending copies with dedicatory inscriptions to the “aces and bigwigs” of the Brazilian media - to giving endless lectures. Like a missionary, at any time of the day or night he was ready to speak on any of the eight worked out topics that he himself proposed: “The Sacred Paths of Antiquity”, “The Awakening of the Magicians”, “Rites and Rituals of R.A.M.”, “Philosophy and Practice of Occult Rites”, “ Esoteric tradition and practices of R.A.M.,” “Magic and Power,” etc. At the end of the lecture, listeners had the opportunity to receive autographed copies of “The Alchemist” and “The Magician.” It was not difficult to fill the hall. Judging by Paulo's diary, he performed not only in such respectable audiences as the National Theater (Brasilia) and at the faculties of the Candido Mendes University (Rio de Janeiro), but also in small hotel haciendas in provincial towns of the state of Goias and even in private houses. The fruits of this campaign, however, were not immediately apparent, and sales figures grew slowly. Six weeks after its release, only a few thousand copies had been sold - this is a real miracle for a country like Brazil, and at the same time negligible compared to how the "Diary of a Magician" diverged, and most importantly - with the hopes that it placed on author of his second book.

“Sales have still not reached 10% of the planned volume. I believe that success depends on a miracle. I sit by the phone all day, but it is silent. Oh my God! Why doesn't some journalist call and say that he liked my book? My work is more important to me than my manias, words and feelings. For her sake I humiliate myself, I beg, I hope and I despair.” - Coelho wrote in his diary.

But Paulo did not give up on his dream. He turned to the larger Rocco publishing house, which became interested in his work. The first edition published by “Rocco” disappeared from the shelves of bookstores in a matter of days, while the author, in a hitherto unprecedented feat, immediately appeared on two bestseller lists: with “The Diary of a Magician” - in “non-fiction”, with “The Alchemist” - in category "fiction". From then on, sales volume will only increase.

It is not surprising that those who cultivated the meager field of the Brazilian book business became interested in an author who managed to reach half a million copies sold with just two titles. Under the Olympian, dispassionate gaze of the media, people swept books off the shelves, thousands gathered all over the country to listen to the author - and not at all to have them poured from empty to empty. It seemed that the readers wanted to join in the spiritual quest that the author spoke about in his books. The lectures - or "meetings with readers" - organized by Coelho were a huge success, people literally flocked to them, and there were often episodes such as what happened at the capital's Martins Pena University, when the organizers of the evening were forced to bring speakers outside for those who did not have enough space in the auditorium designed for two thousand people. The interview that Paulo gave to journalist Mara Regea from Radio Nacional de Brasilia had to be repeated three times at the request of those who wanted to listen to alchemy and mysticism for an hour and a half. And this was the case all over the country. In the city of Belo Horizonte, the three hundred and fifty-seat hall at the Banco de Desenvolvimento de Minas Gerais could not accommodate an audience of a thousand, so young Afonso Borges, the organizer of the lecture, had to install television monitors at different ends of the building so that no one would be deprived of the opportunity to listen to the words of the magician .

The press, waking up from hibernation, fell into confusion, because it did not know how to explain such an avalanche-like success. Not daring to judge the actual literary merits of both books, journalists preferred to regard it as a passing marketing phenomenon. According to almost unanimous opinion, the writer Paulo Coelho simply became fashionable, “got into the mainstream,” just as it happened with the twist or with the author of rock lyrics Paulo Coelho and his Alternative Society. Two years ago, the Globo newspaper called him “Castaneda from Copacabana,” after which the media practically forgot about his existence. Only when his books reached the top of the bestseller lists, and the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper discovered that The Diary of a Magician and The Alchemist had sold more than half a million copies, did critics realize that two years of not just stable, but also growing success is too much for a fashion fad.

In September 1993, The Alchemist topped the Australian bestseller list. The Sydney Morning Herald stated: " This is the book of the year. A charming example of boundless grace and philosophical depth" In April 1994, The Alchemist was released in France (Anne Carriere Edition). It received excellent reviews in the press, and the reading public received the book with delight. Thus, The Alchemist began its climb up the bestseller list. Two days before Christmas, Anne Carriere wrote to Monica: “ I am sending you a list of bestsellers from France as a gift. We come first!“This book was in first place in every French list, where it remained for five years. Since then, each of Coelho's six novels, translated into French, managed to top the bestseller lists, holding positions for several months. Once, three novels simultaneously topped the top ten.

After such phenomenal success in France, Paulo Coelho's books ceased to be a purely literary phenomenon and, having secured the support of Europe, began their triumphal march throughout the world.

If for humanity the authority of Paulo Coelho was already indisputable, then the attitude of Brazilian criticism towards him proved the validity of the caustic aphorism uttered by the composer Tom Jobim: “ Here in Brazil, someone else's success is perceived as a personal insult - something like a slap in the face." Critics continued to be more sophisticated in their barbs. The success of the French "Alchemist" only fueled their ardor. « Previously, my ill-wishers could draw the slanderous conclusion that all Brazilians are donkeys for reading me, - Coelho told journalist Napoleon Szabado from the Estado de Sao Paulo. - Nowadays, when my books are successfully sold abroad, it is difficult to transfer this sweeping statement to everyone else.» . It turned out that it was not difficult at all. For the critic Silviano Santiago, a doctor of literary studies from the Sorbonne, the fact that Coelho's books became bestsellers in a country like France meant absolutely nothing. " It's time to clarify the nature of the success he achieved in France, he said in the Vezha magazine. - The general reading public in this country is for the most part as unpretentious and primitive as in any other" Some critics did not even bother to open Paulo's books before condemning them. " I haven't read it, but I didn't like it", - Davi Arrigucci Jr., an influential critic and literature teacher from the University of Sao Paulo, gave his verdict. Meanwhile, the scathing reviews had not the slightest impact on Brazilian readers and even less on foreign ones. Quite the opposite. Judging by the numbers, Coelho's army of fans grew in the same proportion as the fury of critics.

Before publication in the United States, The Alchemist was published by small Spanish and Portuguese publishers. In Spain, the book did not enter the bestseller list until 1995. Seven years later, the Publishing Guild of Spain wrote that The Alchemist was the best selling book of 2001 in Spain. In 2002, a Spanish publishing house prepared an unprecedented release of the collected works of Paulo Coelho. In Portugal, where more than a million copies of his books have been sold, Coelho is also considered the best-selling author.

In 1996, Editorial Objetiva acquired the rights to The Fifth Mountain with an advance of one million dollars, the largest ever received by a Brazilian author. That same year, Paulo was awarded the title of "Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres" and Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French Minister of Culture, stated: " You have become an alchemist for millions of readers. Your books do good: they encourage us to dream and lead us in search of spiritual truth" Also in 1996, Coelho was appointed special adviser to the UNESCO program “Spiritual Common Ground and Intercultural Dialogues”.

In 1997, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, his publishers, along with representatives of Diogenes and Sant Jordi, threw a party in honor of Paulo and in honor of the then upcoming international publication of The Fifth Mountain. This happened in March 1998, and the main celebrations took place in Paris. Paulo was delighted by his success at the Salon du Livre, where he signed his books for more than seven hours. His French publisher, Anne Carrière, organized a dinner in his honor at the Louvre Museum. This dinner was attended by several hundred celebrities and journalists.

In 1997, Coelho published his next book, “The Warrior of Light Textbook,” a collection of philosophical thoughts that help us discover the warrior of light within ourselves. Millions of readers appreciated this book. This was Coelho's first book, published first abroad and then in Brazil. She was born thanks to the Italian publisher Elisabeth Sgarbi from Bompiani. Encouraged by the success that Paulo had enjoyed in her homeland, the publisher contacted Monica to find out if Paulo had anything unpublished for her series “Assagi” (“Tests”), which Coelho had long harbored the idea of combining in one book. reflections and notes that I have made over the years - so the offer came at a very timely time.

In Veronica Decides to Die, published in 1998, Coelho returns to the narrative style. This novel received excellent reviews. The author, who always strives to make his books as accessible to readers as possible, decided this time to change the tactics of releasing a new product. The Obzhetiva publishing house, at the insistence of Coelho, halved advertising costs for The Fifth Mountain, and this measure allowed them to cut the price of a hardcover copy by 25%. The next step towards popularizing his works was a contract with the Carrefour supermarket chain, which included “Veronica...” in its package of offers for the “Nation Day” holiday.

In January 2000, Umberto Eco, in an interview for Focus, said: “ I love Coelho's latest novel. He really makes a deep impression on me" Sinead O’Connor, in an interview with the Irish Sunday Independent, noted: “ The most incredible book I have ever read is Veronica Decides to Die».

In the fall of 1998, Paulo toured Asia and Eastern Europe, starting in Istanbul, traveling on the Orient Express through Bulgaria and ending in Riga. Lear magazine (March 1999) declared him the second best-selling author of 1998 worldwide.

In 1999, Coelho was awarded the prestigious Crystal Award. As stated at the International Economic Forum, “ Paulo united such different cultures with the power of words, which is why he deserved this award" From 1998 to this day, Paulo remains an honorary member of the International Economic Forum. In 1999, the French government awarded him the title of Chevalier of the National Order of the Legion of Honor. In 2000 he was elected to the board of the Swabian Foundation for Social Enterprise.

That same year, Paulo took part in the book fair in Buenos Aires, where he demonstrated the book “Veronica Decides to Die.” The visitors' reaction to Paulo's unexpected presence was highly emotional. All media outlets agreed that none of the other authors could gather such a large audience. " Colleagues who have worked at the book fair for the past 25 years say they have never seen anything like it, even when Borges was alive. This is an exceptional case. I don't think I'll ever see another writer get a reaction like this. It is impossible to describe in words the admiration that Paulo awakens in people"- said Lydia Maria from V&R. Once a line of people wanting to get an autograph lined up four hours before the appointed time, and the fair managers agreed to extend the working hours so that no one would leave disappointed.

When asked about popularity and whether it is an integral companion of a genius, Paulo replies: “In the modern world, it is easy to define the concept of “popularity,” but it is much more difficult to define who a “genius” is. For me, a genius is a person who has taken a sensitive heart and common sense as his allies. I would cite the example of the genius of Mandela and Gandhi. The whole world knows them, but I'm not sure that laurels always go to those who deserve it most. Fortunately, we learn the names of many great people. However, many others do their work in the shadows and it is they, it seems to me, who are the real warriors of light."

In March 2000, having submitted the novel “The Devil and Senorita Prim” to the Obzhetiva publishing house, Coelho flew to Paris, where the advertising campaign, timed to coincide with the release of “Veronica...” translated into French, was gaining momentum. One Monday, on an ash-gray, chilly morning, his attention, like the attention of millions of Parisians and visitors on the streets of the French capital, was attracted by buses of route 87, on the sides of which Paulo saw his own face in close-up against a bluish background and a message that “ Veronica…” has arrived in all bookstores in the city. Buses decorated with such advertising left from the east, from Port de Reuilly, crossed the entire city, traveling about thirty kilometers through the busiest places in Paris - Gare de Lyon, Place de la Bastille, Saint-Germain-des-Prés - and ended their journey in the final point, on the Champ de Mars. A similar promotion took place that day in fourteen other French cities. However, this time the PR efforts did not bring the expected results. The French probably did not like the fact that the book was advertised as a new kind of soap or toothpaste, and sales of Veronica were lower than expected and did not reach the level of previous books, despite the fact that more significant funds were invested. The press, however, received the new product warmly, and the conservative and thorough Le Figaro, which enjoys the reputation of the most influential newspaper in the country, was no different in its assessments from the lively Express. At the same time - but also without the previous hype - the novel began to arrive in bookstores in Taiwan, Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand and the United States.

According to the writer, in the 12 years that his books have been published in Iran, 6 million copies have been sold. He stressed that his books were published under different governments in the country, and that the current ban can only be explained by a misunderstanding. At the same time, Coelho turned to the Brazilian government for support. The country's Ministry of Culture then condemned the incident.

In September 2000, The Devil and Signorita Prim was published simultaneously in Italy (Bompiani), Portugal (Pergaminho) and Brazil (Objectiva). During the days of the first edition, Paulo gave dozens of interviews to international media in his home in Rio de Janeiro. In 2001, the book continued to be published worldwide and appeared on bestseller lists in the thirty languages into which it had been translated by then.

At the same time, the existence of the Paulo Coelho Institute, which he and his wife, Cristina Oitisia, founded back in 1996, was publicly announced for the first time. Coelho says that he has enough money for three incarnations. He earns so much that he decided to donate four hundred thousand dollars every year from his royalties to the fund of the institute, which helps street children in the most miserable slums of Rio, the most defenseless old people. He sponsors translations of Brazilian classics into other languages, research on the paleontology of his beloved Brazil, which Coelho considers the most amazing country in the world. For in it - as he says - there is no division into the worldly and the sacred, and no one is embarrassed to believe in the spiritual principle.

The "globalization" of literary success contributed to Coelho's penetration into the very top circle of the international elite. Since 1998, he has consistently participated in the World Economic Forum, first organized in 1971 in the Swiss city of Davos, which annually attracted world celebrities from the world of politics (since 2000, Paulo, at the invitation of the founder, became a member of the Schwab Foundation). The main guest of the Davos Forum 2000, American President Bill Clinton, a few months earlier on the White House lawn, where his helicopter landed, was photographed with a volume of “The Alchemist” in his hands. Having learned that the Brazilian was also in Davos, Clinton took the first step towards acquaintance: “ My daughter Chelsea gave me this book - the president said, - She just made me read The Alchemist. And I liked it so much that I gave it to Hillary" The meeting ended with an “open date” invitation. Seven years later, in 2007, at the request of Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters, Paulo will write an appeal in support of her candidacy for the presidency of the United States. Davos, both before and after that, gave him the opportunity to personally meet his most eminent readers - former Israeli Prime Minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, Hollywood movie star Sharon Stone, Italian writer Umberto Eco, entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Richard Branson, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (Coelho also knows the current Chancellor Angela Merkel).

In September, Coelho visited the Borders bookshop in London, where he also signed his books. According to master of ceremonies, Finn Lawrence, the signing ceremony for The Devil and Lady Prim (HarperCollins) was "undoubtedly the biggest event of the year." It was visited by residents of all five continents - guests from Japan, Pakistan, Angola, America and all European countries. In November, Coelho traveled to Mexico, where thousands of readers waited for hours at a book fair in Guadalajara.

In early 2002, Paulo traveled to China for the first time, where he visited Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing, taking part in various events, including signature signings and meetings with readers.

Despite the warm recognition of millions, Coelho was sometimes attacked by some literary critics, which is why his election to membership in the Academy became such an important social event.

In October 2002, Paulo received the Planetary Arts Award from the Budapest Club in Frankfurt, where former US President Bill Clinton gave a eulogy in his honor.

Paulo always counted on the sincere support of his publishers. However, his success is not limited to the literary sphere, but also affects other cultural and social areas.

The dramatic and poetic potential of his work was appreciated by many theater groups. The Alchemist, for example, has been performed on stages on all five continents in various theatrical forms - musical and dance theatre, puppet theatre, opera and stage readings. The book eventually made its way to Broadway, where it was turned into a musical. Coelho's other books, such as Veronica Decides to Die, By the Piedra River I Sat and Wept, and The Devil and Signorita Prim, also attracted the attention of playwrights.

A fly in the ointment

Despite all this success, many Brazilian critics consider him an insignificant writer whose work is too simple. Some of them also call his work "commercial" and market-oriented. His election to the Brazilian Academy of Literature is disputed by many Brazilians.

The famous Russian TV presenter and screenwriter Avdotya Smirnova said the following about him: “The irritation that Coelho causes in any more or less literary sophisticated reader is explained primarily by his extraordinary seriousness, some kind of goose-like importance - mortal boredom, not a single joke, not a single smile, not a single wit throughout the entire novel. I don’t mean giggle-giggle jokes, there are all sorts of witticisms in literature - phonetic, philosophical, gut-wrenching idioms; but like this, without even a shadow of juggling, without the slightest artistry, without a hint of a game of mind, this is how real literature does not happen. Meanwhile, it is precisely this seriousness that makes Coelho such a popular writer.”

Coelho responds to all the critics’ reproaches as follows: “It’s not difficult for me to express my feelings in writing. I try to write briefly and stay to the point. Just the way readers love it and critics hate it. They want more complex books."

And in general, Coelho does not believe that he is discovering anything new in his works: “There are only four plots in life: a love story between a man and a woman, between three people, a struggle for power and travel. All my books are based on these stories. In a sense, all writers tell stories that have already been told."

Paulo Coelho in Russia

In September 2002, Paulo created a sensation by traveling to Russia with five of his books, which simultaneously entered the local bestseller list: The Devil and Signorita Prim (number one), followed by The Alchemist, The Book of the Warrior of Light, Veronica decides to die" and "The Fifth Mountain" (Sofia publishing house). In just two weeks, over 250,000 copies of his books were sold in Russia, and in a year - a total of more than a million. According to the commercial director of the MDK network, the book signing ceremony here has acquired the widest scale: “ We've never seen so many readers come to have their favorite author sign books. We have held many events in our bookstore. Previously, we were visited by such influential guests as ex-presidents Yeltsin and Gorbachev and even the current President Putin, but we have never had so many visitors. It was truly an incredible event. We even had to turn away hundreds of readers trying to join the huge crowd».

“The trip along the Trans-Siberian Railway became one of the turning points in my life. I am happy that I had the opportunity to visit Siberia and meet readers whom I would never have met otherwise. I’m glad I made a film about these events - it can be viewed on Youtube.”

Besides books

But the phenomenon of Paulo Coelho is not limited to this. Along with books, a number of products have been released that are directly related to the author and his work, such as diaries, calendars, notebooks, art albums and even computer games “Pilgrim”, “Legend” and “The Secret of Alamut” (Arksel-Guild "), developed in collaboration with the writer.

Coelho's columns appeared regularly in Corriere della Sera (Italy), El Semanal (Spain), Ta Nea (Greece), TV-Hören + Seen and Welt am Sonntag (Germany), Anna (Estonia), “Zwiertsadlo” (Poland), “El Universo” (Ecuador), “El Nacional” (Venezuela), “El Espectador” (Colombia), “China Times Daily” (Taiwan) and many other periodicals.

Coelho looks a bit like an aged rock singer. He wears black T-shirts and jeans. « Less likely to spoil in hotel laundries» , - the writer answers journalists’ questions about clothing.

In his spare time, Coelho enjoys reading, traveling, computers, playing football, walking, often communicating with his fans, playing music and Kyudo (a kind of meditative archery). Every morning he wakes up early and after a two-hour walk shoots 24 arrows using one of his three bows.

Formula for success and good luck Paulo Coelho can be deduced by carefully reading all his statements that the writer has ever made when answering questions from journalists, published in his blogs and newspaper columns, as well as in opinion articles published in many popular publications.

“Every person must keep within himself the sacred fire of madness, and must behave like a normal person.”

“If we are attentive to the signs that fate sends us and follow them, then whatever we wish for - love, money, inspiration, success, we will definitely be able to achieve.”

These simple rules allowed Coelho to gain a huge army of fans. Both couriers and princesses know him by sight. Even during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton was photographed holding The Alchemist. Here's what Madonna said about this book: “ A wonderful work about magic, dreams and treasures right on your doorstep" Every superstar has a selection of Coelho's books in their library. Julia Roberts expressed her opinion in a documentary about the writer: “ It's like real magic, Paulo's writing is simply amazing».

Most readers attribute Coelho's success to the sublime, forgiving pantheistic spirituality in his books. Open any book at random and you will definitely come across theses like “everything is interconnected” or “it is not a sin to be happy.” According to the writer, every day, be it weather changes, random coincidences or just ordinary events, we encounter the miraculous. His plots are comprehensively symbolic, and perhaps that is why many readers see their own reflection in the books. In fact, the stories of some of the characters are taken from real life: for example, in the book “Zaire” the story is about a man whose wife left him, after which he goes on a journey for the sake of self-knowledge. The prototype for the female character was war correspondent Christina Lamb, who interviewed Coelho upon returning from Iraq in 2003. Perhaps it is thanks to such acquaintances that the writer repeats his daily prayer to meet as many people as possible in the next 24 hours. interesting people.

« I have no idea why it's so popular. And if I find out, I'll lose my magic. I'll start writing according to the formula. I just know that my books warm my heart».

Coelho has a flexible mind and looks at possible future troubles with his traditional, almost supernatural equanimity - “The problem with most people is that they consider all their days to be monotonous, or they are held back by fear, the fear of death. I'm not afraid of death. I saw my own funeral, I saw how the soul separated from the body and soared upward. And I know that we will continue to exist. Life after death is possible. I'm sure of it".

Closeness with readers and openness to people

Coelho seems not at all spoiled by his newfound wealth. And although his books have brought him a considerable fortune - an apartment in the sixth arrondissement of Paris with an improvised archery range, a converted mill in the French Pyrenees and a house on the beach of Copacabana - Paulo has remained ingenuously open, approachable and proud of his closeness with readers.

« I'm an internet addict. I receive 1,000 emails every day, and I specifically hired four people to answer them. Plus there are also my forums and blog. I love doing all this. I don't go to parties, cocktail parties or dinner parties. I hate to sound like a smartass. People know they can always contact me».

How does he react to people who are convinced that he can cure the world, or at least their own world? What about the woman who came to his house and said that a space satellite ordered her to commit suicide in front of the writer?

“Of course, unexpected visits happen. I'd say one out of every hundred readers reacts in this extreme way. I recommended that woman go to Santiago (the plot of “The Diary of a Magician”), and one day she called me and said that she had changed her mind about killing herself.”

Paulo Coelho is open to communication, he is glad to see every person with whom he has the opportunity to talk: “The path always transforms a person. And the meetings that happen on the road (Paulo Coelho loves to travel - “Travel Tips from Paulo Coelho”) , are not random. And understanding the meaning of these seemingly meaningless meetings will come later, as will understanding the essence of our path. We will understand everything later, but for now we need to move forward.”

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Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 24, 1947, into the family of an engineer. His parents wanted the boy to follow in his father's footsteps, but already in his youth Paulo Coelho decided that he wanted to become a writer. His reluctance to follow the will of his parents led to the fact that at the age of 17, Paulo was admitted to a psychiatric hospital (1966), where he underwent electric shock treatment. He was released from the hospital three years later, having made three escape attempts. Coelho later admitted that his parents decided to institutionalize him because they wanted to protect him and did not know what to do with him. Coelho masterfully outlined the experience and experiences that he received during these difficult three years in the novel “Veronica Decides to Die.” In his youth, he also served a prison sentence for speaking out against the ruling dictatorial regime in Brazil (he was tortured more than once in prison). Paulo Coelho partially describes this stage of his life in the novel Valkyrie, which was recently published for the first time in Russian.

Yielding to the wishes of his parents, Coelho enters the Faculty of Law, but after a year he drops out of school, joins the hippie movement and travels around America and Europe. At the same time, he became a composer and wrote songs for many famous Brazilian performers. Paulo later joined forces with rock star Raul Seijas... Together they wrote 120 songs (between 1973 and 1982) that revolutionized Brazilian rock music; some of these songs are hits today. Erica Marmo described this period of his life in his book "The Magician's Song: The Musical Career of Paulo Coelho", published in 2007.

Hippie, journalist, rock star, actor, playwright, theater director and television producer - this whirlwind life ended in 1982 during a trip to Europe. In Dachau and later in Amsterdam, Paulo had a mystical meeting with "J", his new mentor, who convinced him to follow the path of Santiago de Compostela, the medieval pilgrim's route between France and Spain.

He made this pilgrimage in 1986. It was there that he re-converted to Christianity and rediscovered the faith in which he was raised by the Jesuit fathers during his school years. He later described this experience in his first book, The Pilgrinage, published in 1987. The following year, his second and most popular book, The Alchemist, was published. This novel not only brought Coelho world fame, but also acquired the status of a modern classic. This is a timeless story that will never cease to captivate and inspire generations of future readers.

Subsequent books were “Brida” (1990), O Dom Supremo: The Greatest Gift (1991), Valkyries (1992), “Maktub” (1994), “On the banks of the Rio Piedra I sat down and cried” (1994), “The Fifth Mountain (1996), Love Letters from a Prophet (1997), The Book of the Warrior of Light (1997), Veronica Decides to Die (1998) and The Devil and Senorita Prim (2000). His latest works: Eleven Minutes - a bestseller in 2003, Zaire (2005), Like the Flowing River (2006), The Witch of Portobello (2006), There Stands One Winner (2008) and Aleph (2010) ). In March 2011, the AST publishing house published the novel “Valkyries” for the first time in Russian, and at the end of 2011 the author’s new novel “Aleph” is being prepared for publication.

Paulo Coelho has received many prestigious international awards. Critics note his realistic style, full of poetry and philosophy. The symbolic language in Coelho's novels speaks directly to the hearts of readers and this makes his novels popular all over the world.

Coelho's admirers highly value his spirituality, honesty, wisdom, as well as his interest in global problems and openness to communication with people, regardless of their origin and financial situation. Paulo Coelho is an Honorary Advisor to the UNESCO Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogues Programme. In 2007, he was awarded the title of UN Goodwill Ambassador, which contributed to his work in the field of intercultural dialogue and protection of children's rights.

In 2009, Paulo Coelho was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the author of the most translated novel in the world (The Alchemist). Moreover, at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2003, in one autograph session he signed the largest number of multilingual editions of the novel The Alchemist (books in 53 languages), for which he also entered the Guinness Book of Records.

In his spare time, Coelho enjoys reading, traveling, computers, spending time on the Internet, playing football, walking, often communicating with his fans on the Internet, blogging, playing music and Kyudo (a kind of meditative archery). Every morning he wakes up early and after a two-hour walk shoots 24 arrows using one of his three bows. Paulo Coelho has always been interested in cinema and is currently working on his first film project, Experimental Witch. In 1996, Coelho and his wife, Cristina Oiticia, founded , which helps poor children and elderly people in Brazil

Paulo Coelho and his wife live in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and spend a lot of time in Europe.

Interesting Facts:

Coelho's books have been translated into 72 languages and published in 150 countries. The total circulation of books has exceeded 100 million.

He is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (France)

Special Advisor to UNESCO on “Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue” since 1996.

In 2006, Paulo Coelho became UN Ambassador of Peace