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Paulo Coelho (born August 24, 1947) is a famous Brazilian lyricist and novelist.

He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and attended law school there, but abandoned his studies in 1970 to travel throughout Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, as well as Europe and North Africa. Two years later he returned to Brazil and began composing popular music lyrics, working with such popular musicians as Raul Seixas. As he confesses in an interview to Juan Arias, during that time he was introduced to the work of controversial English mystic Aleister Crowley, which influenced their collaboration. The influence extended not only to music, but also to plans for the creation of the "Alternative Society," which was to be an anarchist community in the state of Minas Gerais based on Crowley's premise: "'Do what thou wilt' shall be the whole of the Law." The project was considered subversive by members of the Brazilian military, which imprisoned all prospective members of the group. Seixas and Coelho are reported to have been tortured during their imprisonment.

After a supernatual experience, described in The Valkryies, Coelho left the society.

Later in Holland he met a person (who he would refer to as "J" throughout The Valkryies, The Pilgrimage and his website "Warriors of Light online") who changed his life and Coelho was driven towards Christianity. He became a member of a Catholic group known as RAM (Regnus Agnus Mundi) with "J" as his "Master". In 1986 he walked along the Road of Santiago, an ancient Spanish pilgrimage and his book The Pilgrimage describes his final initiation.

He has sold over 65 million books in over 150 countries worldwide and his works have been translated into 56 languages. He has received numerous literary awards from a variety of countries, including a nomination for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Veronika Decides to Die.

His other novels include The Alchemist, based on Borges' Tale of two dreamers, which sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages; it is also a movie in progress produced by Laurence Fishburne, who is a fan of Coelho. In addition he has written The Pilgrimage (which was the basis for a computer game, developed by the Arxel Tribe), By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, and The Valkyries. His 2005 novel The Zahir was banned in Iran with 1,000 copies confiscated. [1]

His books have appeared on bestseller lists in countries not only in Brazil, but in the UK, the USA, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Israel, Finland and Greece. He is the all time best-selling Portuguese language author.

Despite all this public success, he is still seen by many critics in Brazil as a lesser author, whose work is too simple and similar to self-help books. Some even call his novels "commercial" and market-oriented. His election to the Brazilian Academy of Letters is a very controversial subject among readers in Brazil.

He and his wife Christina live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in Tarbes, France.

Bibliography

• The Alchemist
• The Manual of the Warrior of Light
• By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
• The Pilgrimage
• Veronika Decides to Die
• The Valkyries
• Eleven Minutes
• The Fifth Mountain
• The Zahir
• The Devil and Miss Prymm

External links

• Paulo Coelho at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Site
• Warrior of the Light Online
• Appearance on Desert Island Discs, BBC-Radio 4, 3rd July 2005
• Articles on openDemocracy

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