Biography
One of the world’s bestselling authors, Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian writer whose spiritually-inclined novels have become famous around the world. Born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro to Catholic parents, Coelho endured a strict childhood that saw him committed to a mental institution three times as a teenager for his unconventional behaviour. To please his parents, he enrolled in law school, but dropped out after a year and spent much of the 1960s travelling through South America, Mexico, North Africa and Europe, dabbling in drugs and living a bohemian lifestyle.
Upon returning to Brazil, he worked as a lyricist and songwriter. In 1974, he was arrested by the military government for his subversive and leftwing lyrics. Imprisoned and tortured, when he was released, he embarked on a more respectable career, and worked as an actor, theatre director and journalist.
In 1982 he published his first novel, Hell Archives, which failed to find any success. It was while walking the 500-mile Road of Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage in 1986 that he was inspired to write his next book. The Pilgrimage, published in 1987, is an autobiographical account of Coelho’s spiritual awakening, and was an immediate success.
The following year he published The Alchemist, and while it enjoyed moderate success, it was not until his next book, Brida, was published in 1990 that it became an international bestseller. The Alchemist tells the story of a shepherd boy who embarks on a perilous journey in search of treasure, learning many lessons along the way. A journey of self-discovery, it explores the importance of listening to your inner voice, following your dreams and trusting in your own personal experiences.
Since the publication of The Alchemist, Coelho has published a novel every couple of years, many of them exploring similar themes of spirituality. Selling millions of copies worldwide and translated into 83 languages, Paulo Coelho’s novels resonate deeply with readers in search of their own spiritual awakening.
