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Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life - The Authorized Biography
Paulo Coelho: A Warrior’s Life is the definitive, authorized biography of one of the world’s most popular and widely read authors—and the story of how his enormously popular novel The Alchemist came to be. Fernando Morais, the preeminent biographer in Brazil and a groundbreaking journalist, traces Coelho’s roots in Brazil to his time as a musician and pop lyricist to his wild days of rock and roll to the publication of the The Alchemist and beyond, telling the true tale of one of the most adored authors of our time.
Book Description
Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life is the first-ever biography of the man whose books have sold an astounding 100 million copies worldwide, making him one of the bestselling authors of all time.
Paulo Coelho's life begins with a complicated birth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. He was known as the "boy who was born dead" and who ultimately survived against all odds. Before he became internationally known as a worldwide bestselling author, Paulo lived many different lives. He flirted with suicide, was committed by his parents to insane asylums, suffered the brutality of electric shock therapy, dove into drugs, tried several varieties of sex, met the devil, spent time in prison, helped revolutionize Brazilian rock with musician Raul Seixas, and finally rediscovered his faith in 1986 as he walked the sacred Road to Santiago de Compostela, a medieval pilgrim's route between France and Spain.
Coelho would later describe this life-changing spiritual experience in his first book, The Pilgrimage. The following year, The Alchemist established his worldwide reputation. The novel has already achieved the status of a universally admired modern classic. Now, for the first time, discover the life story of one of the most widely read and adored authors of our time.
Book Description
Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life is the first-ever biography of the man whose books have sold an astounding 100 million copies worldwide, making him one of the bestselling authors of all time.
Paulo Coelho's life begins with a complicated birth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. He was known as the "boy who was born dead" and who ultimately survived against all odds. Before he became internationally known as a worldwide bestselling author, Paulo lived many different lives. He flirted with suicide, was committed by his parents to insane asylums, suffered the brutality of electric shock therapy, dove into drugs, tried several varieties of sex, met the devil, spent time in prison, helped revolutionize Brazilian rock with musician Raul Seixas, and finally rediscovered his faith in 1986 as he walked the sacred Road to Santiago de Compostela, a medieval pilgrim's route between France and Spain.
Coelho would later describe this life-changing spiritual experience in his first book, The Pilgrimage. The following year, The Alchemist established his worldwide reputation. The novel has already achieved the status of a universally admired modern classic. Now, for the first time, discover the life story of one of the most widely read and adored authors of our time.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2007
178 people are currently reading
5574 people want to read
About the author
Fernando Morais
29 books104 followersJornalista desde 1961, trabalhou nas redações do Jornal da Tarde, Veja, Folha de S. Paulo e TV Cultura.
Recebeu três vezes o Prêmio Esso e quatro vezes o Prêmio Abril de Jornalismo. Foi deputado estadual durante oito anos (pelo MDB-SP e depois pelo PMDB-SP) e secretário da Cultura (1988-1991) e da Educação (1991-1993) do Estado de São Paulo. É autor dos roteiros das minisséries documentais Brasil 500 Anos e Cinco dias que abalaram o Brasil, exibidas pelo canal GNT/Globosat.
Escreveu, entre outros, Transamazônica (Brasiliense, 1970, com Ricardo Gontijo e Alfredo Rizutti), A Ilha (Alfa-Ômega, 1975, reeditado pela Companhia das Letras em 2001), Olga (Alfa-Ômega, 1985, reeditado pela Companhia das Letras em 1993), Chatô, o rei do Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 1994), Corações sujos (Companhia das Letras, 2000), Cem quilos de ouro (Companhia das Letras, 2002), Na toca dos Leões (Planeta, 2004) e Montenegro (Planeta, 2006).
Tem livros traduzidos em dezenove países. Em 2001 Corações sujos recebeu o Prêmio Jabuti de Livro do Ano de Não-Ficção. Em 2004 Olga foi transformado em filme pelo diretor Jayme Monjardim, tendo sido visto por mais de cinco milhões de espectadores e indicado pra representar o país no Oscar de 2005. É membro do Conselho Político do jornal Brasil de Fato e do Conselho Superior da Telesur, TV pública latino-americana sediada em Caracas, Venezuela. É membro da Academia Marianense de Letras, onde ocupa a Cadeira nº 13, que teve como primeiro titular o presidente Tancredo Neves.
Recebeu três vezes o Prêmio Esso e quatro vezes o Prêmio Abril de Jornalismo. Foi deputado estadual durante oito anos (pelo MDB-SP e depois pelo PMDB-SP) e secretário da Cultura (1988-1991) e da Educação (1991-1993) do Estado de São Paulo. É autor dos roteiros das minisséries documentais Brasil 500 Anos e Cinco dias que abalaram o Brasil, exibidas pelo canal GNT/Globosat.
Escreveu, entre outros, Transamazônica (Brasiliense, 1970, com Ricardo Gontijo e Alfredo Rizutti), A Ilha (Alfa-Ômega, 1975, reeditado pela Companhia das Letras em 2001), Olga (Alfa-Ômega, 1985, reeditado pela Companhia das Letras em 1993), Chatô, o rei do Brasil (Companhia das Letras, 1994), Corações sujos (Companhia das Letras, 2000), Cem quilos de ouro (Companhia das Letras, 2002), Na toca dos Leões (Planeta, 2004) e Montenegro (Planeta, 2006).
Tem livros traduzidos em dezenove países. Em 2001 Corações sujos recebeu o Prêmio Jabuti de Livro do Ano de Não-Ficção. Em 2004 Olga foi transformado em filme pelo diretor Jayme Monjardim, tendo sido visto por mais de cinco milhões de espectadores e indicado pra representar o país no Oscar de 2005. É membro do Conselho Político do jornal Brasil de Fato e do Conselho Superior da Telesur, TV pública latino-americana sediada em Caracas, Venezuela. É membro da Academia Marianense de Letras, onde ocupa a Cadeira nº 13, que teve como primeiro titular o presidente Tancredo Neves.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
August 18, 2010
Here comes my all time favorite Author, my real life mentor. Paulo is the man behind my life's uplift and enrichment, his ideas have largely and greatly nourished and conditioned my thought process. I have possibly read all his books, started with 'The Alchemist' which propelled me to take my life's biggest and most important decision with vigor and discretion. I embraced the basic principle of life that 'where is your treasure, there is your heart'. Yeah, this Man was behind and most instrumental in my search to seek the truth and follow my heart. After the dark was over, I soon started living a life with zeal, zest and passion. I did what my soul really wanted to do. I started following my dreams and living my desires.
After 'The Alchemist', followed 'The Brida'. 'The Brida' is the fable of a girl. We often tend to feel a strange connection with this book. At some point of time, we all are perplexed as what to chose among the two options? Whom to settle for - Our heart or our Mind. Though, the choice has always been difficult, it is circumspect and wise to listen to your mind. Wise up and be practical.
From 'Veronika decides to die' I learned and practiced that Life is just not about making choices, life is all about control. Often, we are tempted to do some deeds which could be unethical and sinful, then life is all about making the right choice !! Yeah, I did.
From each of his fables, I have always picked some lesson. I learned how to pluck courage in life to assert on the points and principles you believe in.
With so many lessons and good sayings swaying my mind, I have had a very high opinion about this Man, a demigod to me. But, I was appalled and shocked to read that Paulo was a mind sick, demented and brainless nut in his youth. He was an impostor and fraudster. A big time liar and a jerk. And the worst, a junkie who used to smoke cannabis and cocaine. We tend to have the image of our mentors as somebody who is just the picture of idealism and perfection. But, as they say the night is the darkest just before the dawn. Paulo went through a series of ruts and potholes but eventually climbed out of them and emerged out as a winner. After all, A winner stands alone and is distinct !!!
After 'The Alchemist', followed 'The Brida'. 'The Brida' is the fable of a girl. We often tend to feel a strange connection with this book. At some point of time, we all are perplexed as what to chose among the two options? Whom to settle for - Our heart or our Mind. Though, the choice has always been difficult, it is circumspect and wise to listen to your mind. Wise up and be practical.
From 'Veronika decides to die' I learned and practiced that Life is just not about making choices, life is all about control. Often, we are tempted to do some deeds which could be unethical and sinful, then life is all about making the right choice !! Yeah, I did.
From each of his fables, I have always picked some lesson. I learned how to pluck courage in life to assert on the points and principles you believe in.
With so many lessons and good sayings swaying my mind, I have had a very high opinion about this Man, a demigod to me. But, I was appalled and shocked to read that Paulo was a mind sick, demented and brainless nut in his youth. He was an impostor and fraudster. A big time liar and a jerk. And the worst, a junkie who used to smoke cannabis and cocaine. We tend to have the image of our mentors as somebody who is just the picture of idealism and perfection. But, as they say the night is the darkest just before the dawn. Paulo went through a series of ruts and potholes but eventually climbed out of them and emerged out as a winner. After all, A winner stands alone and is distinct !!!
January 16, 2022
Excelente -- a vida de PC é o melhor livro possível. Taí um cara que viveu, errou, fez muita merda, compôs letras brilhantes, foi ocultista e depois convertido.... Nosso Huysmans tropical.
A biografia tem, para mim, dois defeitos:
1) ruycastrismo -- toda mulher que aparece é uma "loura exuberante longilínea" e o cara não poupa nem a doméstica de 18 anos com quem PC perdeu a virgindade.
2) depois que PC publica seu primeiro livro, a biografia fica focada em detalhes irrelevantes (imagino ainda para leitores estrangeiros, todas as andanças de politicagem da ABL) e não na vida do PC. Fica meio subentendido que ele teve affairs, mas parece que o biógrafo não quer manchar a imagem de Coelho contemporâneo, reformado e careta. Toda a liberdade que Morais teve para retratar a adolescência e vida de jovem adulto desaparece e ficamos ouvindo quantas centenas de milhares de cópia cada livro vendeu. Nem mesmo as jornadas espirituais do Mago importam. Mas tudo bem, isso corresponde a cerca de 15% do livro apenas.
A biografia tem, para mim, dois defeitos:
1) ruycastrismo -- toda mulher que aparece é uma "loura exuberante longilínea" e o cara não poupa nem a doméstica de 18 anos com quem PC perdeu a virgindade.
2) depois que PC publica seu primeiro livro, a biografia fica focada em detalhes irrelevantes (imagino ainda para leitores estrangeiros, todas as andanças de politicagem da ABL) e não na vida do PC. Fica meio subentendido que ele teve affairs, mas parece que o biógrafo não quer manchar a imagem de Coelho contemporâneo, reformado e careta. Toda a liberdade que Morais teve para retratar a adolescência e vida de jovem adulto desaparece e ficamos ouvindo quantas centenas de milhares de cópia cada livro vendeu. Nem mesmo as jornadas espirituais do Mago importam. Mas tudo bem, isso corresponde a cerca de 15% do livro apenas.
January 18, 2016
Unexceptionally Boring and didn't expect that my all time favorite author would brag about his achievements this much! Moreover, there's nothing in this biography that will make me feel sny closer to the author! I suggest, don't waste your money on this book, even though Coelho is your favorite author!
Received this book in an online bookstore competition- IndiaBookStore!
Received this book in an online bookstore competition- IndiaBookStore!
December 15, 2009
There was a lot I didn't know about Coelho. I felt the ending of the biography was a bit weak, boring. But he seems to have lived an interesting life thus far. I was surprised about the whole dabbling into 'satanism'. I never would have guessed that about him, nor about his often callous attitude toward women in his life. Judging from the book, he seemed hell bent on being famous and for me, it seems contrary to claim you're on a path of spirituality (be it religious or not) and on that same breath be honing in on fame. It's my personal opinion that fame shouldn't be your goal if you're looking for spiritual enlightenment. If fame happens as a by product of your journey then great. I know he markets himself well, and what writer wouldn't? I am judging by the statements early on in his life about how he wanted to be well known. I guess I just didn't expect that from reading his literature, that he would be consumed with fame.
The whole drug thing surprised me too. Then again, looking at the time period, it certainly didn't 'shock' me. I cannot imagine living in a country where you can't truly be free (in the sense of what your political and religious opinons are) and I admire anyone with the strength of conviction to 'act out' be it in writing, speaking, etc. Worth the read.
The whole drug thing surprised me too. Then again, looking at the time period, it certainly didn't 'shock' me. I cannot imagine living in a country where you can't truly be free (in the sense of what your political and religious opinons are) and I admire anyone with the strength of conviction to 'act out' be it in writing, speaking, etc. Worth the read.
March 30, 2017
From the first pages the story makes you feel quite ambiguous about the famous writer. The biography it's very detailed. Obviously, Mr. Morais had a huge stuff to work on it. But as in the end of the book, the letter of P. Coelho says it -pretty much- he didn't gave the more secret or sentimental aspects of Coelho's life and character. For example, he refers to the writer's feelings such a few times and when he does, he doesn't pay too much attention. It sounds to me like he is describing the life and the actions of a robot and not a passionate human being with such a full life! Also, in the end there were too many details about the sales of his books...So many numbers of the sales and the money he earned! I was a little tired of that... Anyway as my general opinion about getting know better with Coelho...As i already said i feeli really ambiguous! I've read his books and I really like them, but now I've seen a writer who almost did everything to be famous and rich i feel very confused... His books are supposed to make people follow their dreams and live life to the fullest and pay attention to things that really matter or be more spiritual. But how can he persuade us for all this when himself had so low motives and he is a member of an esoteric organisation? I don't know if Mr. Morais paid more attention to the negative side of Coelho or Coelho is really such a person, but it's worth to read it and have your own opinion about it.
October 14, 2025
Semasa membaca bab pertama dan membelek rawak bab-bab lain, tidak sangka hidup Paulo Coelho sangat rumit dan berselirat, jauh berbeza daripada nada buku-bukunya yang bersifat motivasi. Hal ini meningkatkan rasa ingin tahu bagaimana dia dapat membuat pusingan U dalam hidup.
Tempoh remaja dan awal dewasanya dipenuhi cara hidup lintang-pukang, hingga sempat berharap agar segala keburukan yang dilaluinya cepat-cepat berakhir sebab rasa agak tertekan untuk dihayati.
Namun pada masa sama berasa kagum kerana dia selalu berupaya melantun bangkit semula dan tidak pernah mengalah. Ini tergambar melalui kekuatan cita-citanya untuk menjadi penulis.
Personaliti dan perwatakannya, kalau mengikut budaya Timur, pasti mendapat cemuhan dan sumpah seranah sahaja daripada manusia. Malahan ibu bapanya sendiri pun tidak tahan hingga menghantarnya ke hospital sakit jiwa.
Dia turut terseret dalam pergolakan politik dan kumpulan penyembah syaitan, serta larut dalam ketagihan dadah. Pada tahap terburuk hidupnya, dia kembali mendekatkan diri kepada agama (Kristian Katolik) selepas meninggalkan agama Thelema ciptaan Crowley.
Di sebalik semua rintangan, Coelho masih dapat menanggung diri sendiri dengan menulis secara bebas, terlibat dalam teater sebagai penulis skrip dan pelakon, sebelum menceburi dunia muzik sebagai penulis lirik.
Selepas bertemu dengan seorang lelaki misteri yang menuntun jalannya—boleh dianggap seperti satu tarekat dalam agama Kristian barangkali—dia akhirnya lebih tenang dan dapat menjadi penulis sepenuh masa, menghasilkan buku-buku yang mendapat sambutan. Kebanyakan buku terawal yang menaikkan namanya adalah berdasarkan pengalaman spiritualnya.
Satu hal menarik selepas popularitinya, lingkungan susastera Brazil telah mengkritik dan merendahkan karya-karyanya walaupun terjual beratus ribu naskhah. Dia menjawab kritikan dengan terus menghasilkan karya-karya baharu.
Buku ini memberikan jawapan bagaimana Coelho dapat membuat pusingan U mengubah dirinya yang caca-marba semasa muda. Namun setelah mengetahui ilham di sebalik setiap penulisan buku-bukunya, mungkin buku Coelho yang saya baca akan kekal setakat dua buah: Alchemist dan The Witch of Portobello.
Tempoh remaja dan awal dewasanya dipenuhi cara hidup lintang-pukang, hingga sempat berharap agar segala keburukan yang dilaluinya cepat-cepat berakhir sebab rasa agak tertekan untuk dihayati.
Namun pada masa sama berasa kagum kerana dia selalu berupaya melantun bangkit semula dan tidak pernah mengalah. Ini tergambar melalui kekuatan cita-citanya untuk menjadi penulis.
Personaliti dan perwatakannya, kalau mengikut budaya Timur, pasti mendapat cemuhan dan sumpah seranah sahaja daripada manusia. Malahan ibu bapanya sendiri pun tidak tahan hingga menghantarnya ke hospital sakit jiwa.
Dia turut terseret dalam pergolakan politik dan kumpulan penyembah syaitan, serta larut dalam ketagihan dadah. Pada tahap terburuk hidupnya, dia kembali mendekatkan diri kepada agama (Kristian Katolik) selepas meninggalkan agama Thelema ciptaan Crowley.
Di sebalik semua rintangan, Coelho masih dapat menanggung diri sendiri dengan menulis secara bebas, terlibat dalam teater sebagai penulis skrip dan pelakon, sebelum menceburi dunia muzik sebagai penulis lirik.
Selepas bertemu dengan seorang lelaki misteri yang menuntun jalannya—boleh dianggap seperti satu tarekat dalam agama Kristian barangkali—dia akhirnya lebih tenang dan dapat menjadi penulis sepenuh masa, menghasilkan buku-buku yang mendapat sambutan. Kebanyakan buku terawal yang menaikkan namanya adalah berdasarkan pengalaman spiritualnya.
Satu hal menarik selepas popularitinya, lingkungan susastera Brazil telah mengkritik dan merendahkan karya-karyanya walaupun terjual beratus ribu naskhah. Dia menjawab kritikan dengan terus menghasilkan karya-karya baharu.
Buku ini memberikan jawapan bagaimana Coelho dapat membuat pusingan U mengubah dirinya yang caca-marba semasa muda. Namun setelah mengetahui ilham di sebalik setiap penulisan buku-bukunya, mungkin buku Coelho yang saya baca akan kekal setakat dua buah: Alchemist dan The Witch of Portobello.
February 15, 2021
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1] He attended a Jesuit school. As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "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?"[1] After researching, 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.[1] 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.[2][3] 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."[4]
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 becoming immersed in the drug culture of the 1960s.[5][6] 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 Paulo being associated with satanism and occultism, due to the content of some songs.[7] In 1974, Coelho was arrested and tortured for "subversive" activities by the ruling military government, who had taken power ten years earlier and viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous.[4] Coelho also worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career.[7]
In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life.[5][8] On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage.[9] 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 who I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer."[10] Coelho would leave his lucrative career as a songwriter and pursue writing full-time.
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 becoming immersed in the drug culture of the 1960s.[5][6] 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 Paulo being associated with satanism and occultism, due to the content of some songs.[7] In 1974, Coelho was arrested and tortured for "subversive" activities by the ruling military government, who had taken power ten years earlier and viewed his lyrics as left-wing and dangerous.[4] Coelho also worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career.[7]
In 1986, Coelho walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a turning point in his life.[5][8] On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage.[9] 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 who I loved, I had money, but I was not fulfilling my dream. My dream was, and still is, to be a writer."[10] Coelho would leave his lucrative career as a songwriter and pursue writing full-time.
May 13, 2012
Paulo Coelho is a teacher. Through reading his books "The Alchemist" to "By the River Piedra I sat" to "Eleven Minutes" and finally "The Zahir" I have always left with big lessons. But in his authorized biography I get to see the man and what makes him tick and glean bigger lessons.
It was good to see how difficult his formative years were and they are quite similar to everybody else.
It was terrifying to see how he dabbled with satanism and was almost consumed by it. It was also refreshing to see how he extracted himself from it
It was engaging to see how he struggled to find his own personal legend.
And it was finally good to see him achieve his dreams.
Through this book I can see that anybody can achieve his goals if he stays on course. Trials and tribulations would come, nothing good comes easy.
It was good to see how difficult his formative years were and they are quite similar to everybody else.
It was terrifying to see how he dabbled with satanism and was almost consumed by it. It was also refreshing to see how he extracted himself from it
It was engaging to see how he struggled to find his own personal legend.
And it was finally good to see him achieve his dreams.
Through this book I can see that anybody can achieve his goals if he stays on course. Trials and tribulations would come, nothing good comes easy.
January 18, 2012
Paulo Coelho has sold 100 million books in the metaphysical spiritual genre, written in the style of light novels or fables. His most famous one is The Alchemist, which I loved. Since I've read most of his books, I wanted to see how much of his personal life was contained in them. I found out that many of the magical/sorcery experiences he's had actually are things he's experienced in real life. In addition, his experiences with being forcibly hospitalized as a young adult, for what his parents called mental illness and I would call just not fitting in, figure into his books.
Coelho is a passionate, deep, unconventional man with a profound sense of the mystery of life. Those who feel practices like tarot, rituals, and searching for hidden meanings are silly, however, might not like his books.
I was surprised to find that his books are extremely popular in Russia.
The biography, which was authorized, was fascinating, but the writer gave to many details, so it moved too slowly.
Coelho is a passionate, deep, unconventional man with a profound sense of the mystery of life. Those who feel practices like tarot, rituals, and searching for hidden meanings are silly, however, might not like his books.
I was surprised to find that his books are extremely popular in Russia.
The biography, which was authorized, was fascinating, but the writer gave to many details, so it moved too slowly.
January 3, 2011
Well - this one is a bit hard for me to judge for several reasons. I've skim-read the book in a quite fast pace. I can tell that formally it's not much to write home about - its factual and frank. The content - as obvious with biographies - depends on the biographee and your relation to her/him.
I have read only two books by Coelho (Alchymist and Veronica decided to die) and disliked both of them (both would merit barely 1 goodread star) and the biography just convinced me that I'm certainly not going to read anything by him in the future (while I wasn't intending anyway - he got his second chance, already).
It was a surprise for me to learn about his life - that he went through these occult phases etc. and that apparently he actually believes the mystical-new-age-selfhelp type of hogwash he infuses his books. I find it very interesting that his main aim was to become a *famous* writer, rather then a direct desire and love for writing. I'm sure he likes to write, but it's made clear that this is only induced through his primary desire to be recognized. Coelho is however good in one thing (and works very hard for it) - in being famous, promoting himself and so on. This is the thing he always wanted and eventually got it.
I'm not sure it makes sense to buy this book. Coelho fans will anyway and the rest can get the same information for free from Wikipedia. This is not so much Morais' fault. I'm very pleased that the whole book is very frank and does not paint Coelho rosily. On the other hand, the biography is authorized and this is another display of Coelho's smugness - he is so enlightened that he allows the ugly truth to be said. And I mean smugness also in a very matter-of-fact way, rather than judginly.
Yes, I would be happier if some who a) actually could write, b) actually loved writing for its own sake and c) was rational would sell so many books instead. But Coelho is an interesting figure in any case... but in this slightly saddening way. Oh, well.
I have read only two books by Coelho (Alchymist and Veronica decided to die) and disliked both of them (both would merit barely 1 goodread star) and the biography just convinced me that I'm certainly not going to read anything by him in the future (while I wasn't intending anyway - he got his second chance, already).
It was a surprise for me to learn about his life - that he went through these occult phases etc. and that apparently he actually believes the mystical-new-age-selfhelp type of hogwash he infuses his books. I find it very interesting that his main aim was to become a *famous* writer, rather then a direct desire and love for writing. I'm sure he likes to write, but it's made clear that this is only induced through his primary desire to be recognized. Coelho is however good in one thing (and works very hard for it) - in being famous, promoting himself and so on. This is the thing he always wanted and eventually got it.
I'm not sure it makes sense to buy this book. Coelho fans will anyway and the rest can get the same information for free from Wikipedia. This is not so much Morais' fault. I'm very pleased that the whole book is very frank and does not paint Coelho rosily. On the other hand, the biography is authorized and this is another display of Coelho's smugness - he is so enlightened that he allows the ugly truth to be said. And I mean smugness also in a very matter-of-fact way, rather than judginly.
Yes, I would be happier if some who a) actually could write, b) actually loved writing for its own sake and c) was rational would sell so many books instead. But Coelho is an interesting figure in any case... but in this slightly saddening way. Oh, well.
February 14, 2011
Okay, so I never read any of Paulo Coelho's books but I do own them and I was going to get to them eventually! After reading this book I will push them up on my list. Fernando has a way with words. He truly is a great writer. His other books are not in English but from reading this one book I can tell he is quite good. I loved the beginning of how it is the present and it explains how famous he is. It is pretty awesome to see a writer be as famous as say a regular celebrity or even a president! He is super intelligent and his life was crazy! But I loved how it had built from it and how he never gave up. He truly id...Obsesses (?) with writing. You can tell from beginning to end the Paulo Coelho truly was born to write and it is amazing the things he went through and to where he is today is just astounding. His father is crazy but then again we do live in different cultures. Either way, his family is not normal and neither is Coelho and I think that's what makes him great. I hear so many wonderful things about his writing and I read some samples in the book so I have no doubts that I will not love his writings. I gave it a 4 starer (would have given a 3.75 if I could)
Stay tuned for when I do read the 2 books I own: The Zahir and The Alchemist.
Stay tuned for when I do read the 2 books I own: The Zahir and The Alchemist.
December 31, 2009
I had never heard of Paulo Coelho before winning this book. I thought it was very interesting and well written. You can definitely tell the Brazilian background on some of the phraseology used in the book. The only part that got a little weird for me is his black magic phase. Otherwise, he has a very interesting life and it captured my attention. I also guess that the time period this book took place is a little different to compare to the USA.
May 4, 2021
Could not but feel sadness for Coelho as I read this biography. He seems haunted by a chasm of emptiness which has not been filled by success, fortune, awards, and global recognition. Upon finishing the book, I am reminded of St. Augustine of Hippo’s statement: “Oh Lord, our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
April 3, 2013
Πρώτα απ΄ όλα θα αρχίσω ομολογώντας ότι δεν έχω διαβάσει κανένα βιβλίο του Κοέλιο, ακόμα. Yποθέτω, όμως, ότι θα πρέπει να διαβάσω μερικά βιβλία του, κρίνοντας από την τόσο μεγάλη απήχηση που έχει στο αναγνωστικό κοινό (μέχρι παραληρήματος...)
Και μ' αυτά, αρχίζουν οι πανηγυρικές μου σκέψεις.
Διαβάζοντας τη βιογραφία ενός θρυλικού και ζώντος συγγραφέα νιώθω τη μέγιστη απογοήτευση. Το βιβλίο ξεκινά (και τελειώνει, επίσης) με το glamour της τωρινής του ζωής και το μάτι του στις πωλήσεις, τα κέρδη και πώς θα χτυπήσει τις παράνομες εκτυπώσεις των βιβλίων του.
Έχω ήδη χαλαστεί γιατί υποτίθεται ότι θα διαβάσω τη διαδρομή ενός spiritualist.
Και αρχίζει η περιγραφή (πολύ λεπτομερής, τόσο που καταντάει περιττή γιατί π.χ. ουδόλως μ' ενδιαφέρει τι μάρκα τσιγάρα καπνίζει): Αυτός ο άνθρωπος, γόνος ευυπόληπτης και πλούσιας βραζιλιάνικης οικογένειας (με μπάτλερ), δεν ήξερε τίποτα για τον εαυτό του (ποιος ξέρει…) αλλά πειραματίστηκε με όλα, ασπάστηκε τα πάντα που βρέθηκαν στο δρόμο του.
Ένα μόνο ήξερε από μικρός: ότι ήθελε να γίνει διάσημος με τη συγγραφή, να αποκτήσει δύναμη, εξουσία και λεφτά.
Δοκίμασε τη σεξουαλικότητά του και με τα 2 φύλα, κατέληξε με προτίμηση στις γυναίκες (αλλά με όλες τις γυναίκες), εμφανίστηκε ως κομμουνιστής γιατί ήταν της μόδας (κατά βάθος καμία υπόληψη δεν είχε στα πολιτικά συστήματα, εκτός κι αν ήταν προς το συμφέρον του), σε πολιτικές διαμαρτυρίες κατέβαινε για την προσφερόμενη διασκέδαση και εκτόνωση (αλλά καθόλου υπερβολές γιατί το σωματικό του εκτόπισμα δεν ήταν να το φοβάσαι), εδραιώθηκε ως χίπις (εκ του ασφαλούς, είχε το ακαταλόγιστο), μαστουρωμένος μονίμως (ολόκληρα 24ωρα, όσο άντεχε), βούλιαξε στο σατανισμό (ούτε του Μάνσον η παράνοια δεν τον ξεθόλωσε), αποφάσεις έπαιρνε στη ζωή του πετώντας το κέρμα (i ching, κινέζικη μαντική τέχνη) και κατέληξε να ασπαστεί την αίρεση της Αδελφότητας του Ram, της οποίας έγινε και Δάσκαλος.
Ανάμεσα στις όποιες αναζητήσεις των σκοπών του είχε και διαστήματα ακόμα πιο έντονης κατάθλιψης με αποκορύφωμα την ιδέα της αυτοκτονίας (φοβόταν, όμως και να πεθάνει, γιατί κι αν είναι αλήθεια όσα λένε για την Κόλαση;). Μέχρι τα 22 του χρόνια, οι γονείς του τον είχαν κλείσει σε ψυχιατρείο 3 φορές. Με ηλεκτροσόκ προσπαθούσαν να γιατρέψουν τη ζωηράδα του (...). Προσπαθούσε, μονίμως, να αντισταθμίσει την ελλιπή εξωτερική του εμφάνιση με το διανοητικό του πλούτο (πολυδιαβασμένος, έκανε χρήση όλων όσων διάβαζε και διάβαζε τα πάντα, θαμπώνοντας τους άλλους).
Δεν μπόρεσα να τον συμπαθήσω τελικά. Η ανωριμότητά του φαίνεται σε όλο τα πεδία σκέψεως και δράσεως στο βιβλίο μέχρι τη βαθιά ενήλικη ζωή του (τουλάχιστον στο βιβλίο αρχίζει μια σοβαροφάνεια από την ώρα που αρχίζουν να εκδίδονται τα βιβλία του). Παιδί ήταν όταν πήρε το τιμόνι και παραλίγο να σκοτώσει έναν 7χρονο. Παιδί ήταν όταν ζήτησε από την κοπέλα του για απόδειξη της αγάπης της να τον αφήσει να σβήσει το τσιγάρο του στο μπούτι της... Ο χαρακτήρας του; Ο τρισχείριστος: ανώριμος, ασταθής, manipulator, υλιστής, εγωιστής, συμφεροντολόγος, τσιγκούνης και δειλός. Μου θυμίζει περίπτωση ενός κακομαθημένου πλουσιόπαιδου που με το lifestyle του θέλει να πληγώσει τους γονείς του (έκανε τα δικά του αλλά πάντα είχε κάπου να γυρνάει, στη σιγουριά του πατρικού του). Η συμπεριφορά του προς τους φίλους του (αν και ο ίδιος διατείνεται ότι τίποτα δε θα ήταν χωρίς αυτούς) είναι τουλάχιστον εξοργιστική. Δεν είδα καμιά αυτοκριτική για την αρνητική του επιρροή προς το Ραούλ ή για το ότι προσέλαβε έναν άλλο φίλο του ως σκλάβο (!) και πολλά άλλα...
Αυτός που θεωρεί τον εαυτό του πνευματικό και διάνοια, πώς την ευτυχία την εξισώνει με τα λεφτά και τα υπέρογκα ποσά; Γιατί στο δικό μου βιβλίο δε συμβαδίζουν. Έτσι βγαίνουν τα διανοητικά πονήματα; Μέσα από το βούρκο; Λίγη ταπεινότητα δε βλάπτει! Περίμενα διαβάζοντας αυτή τη βιογραφία να θαυμάσω κάτι! Δε θαύμασα τίποτα. Ίσως αν διαβάσει ο ίδιος τη βιογραφία του (επειδή όντως η αλήθεια μιλώντας την λυτρώνει) βρει τη δική του λύτρωση μέσα του κάνοντας την αυτοκριτική του.
Ένα καλό μόνο βρήκα διαβάζοντας το βιβλίο: επεσήμανα αρκετά βιβλία αλλοεθνών συγγραφέων για διάβασμα..
Κατά τα άλλα συγχαρητήρια στον image maker του, που τον δείχνει τουλάχιστον συμπαθέστατο!
March 13, 2017
Gostei! Eu não conhecia a história de vida dele nem as dificuldades que teve em função do preconceito que sofreu, principalmente no Brasil. É uma pessoa polêmica, mas sua trajetória é bem interessante.
December 26, 2009
Biographies are difficult to review - no matter how good the biographer's writing might be, the success of the book really depends on how interesting the subject of the biography is. Fortunately for Fernando Morais and the reader, Paulo Coelho has evidently had a far more eventful life than the average person. The first half of the book, which dealt with Coelho's early life, was fascinating although I found I started to lose interest nearer the end.
Many biographers (particularly the authors of unauthorised biographies) allow their own opinions and speculations to get in the way of the facts - Fernando Morais does not do this. The book was written with the full cooperation of Paulo Coelho and Morais writes in a professional, factual style. He was given full access to Coelho's diaries which date back to his teenage years, though he repeatedly points out that Coelho tended to fantasize in his diary entries and therefore we can't place too much reliance on them. However, the inclusion of the diary entries, along with other fragments of Coelho's writing, gives us a better insight into his mind.
Morais looks at every stage of Coelho's life in so much depth it's obvious that he spent a lot of time researching the book thoroughly. He provides a complete list of all the people he interviewed during his research including some of Paulo's friends, family members and former girfriends. Some of Coelho's fans may be disappointed and disillusioned as he is often portrayed in a bad light, but as the biography was published with Coelho's blessing, he was obviously happy for us to read about the negative aspects of his character as well as the positive.
A Warrior's Life was an interesting book to read, despite the fact that before beginning it I knew almost nothing about Paulo Coelho. I received a review copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers and was glad to have an opportunity to read a biography I would probably never have read otherwise.
http://shereadsnovels.wordpress.com
Many biographers (particularly the authors of unauthorised biographies) allow their own opinions and speculations to get in the way of the facts - Fernando Morais does not do this. The book was written with the full cooperation of Paulo Coelho and Morais writes in a professional, factual style. He was given full access to Coelho's diaries which date back to his teenage years, though he repeatedly points out that Coelho tended to fantasize in his diary entries and therefore we can't place too much reliance on them. However, the inclusion of the diary entries, along with other fragments of Coelho's writing, gives us a better insight into his mind.
Morais looks at every stage of Coelho's life in so much depth it's obvious that he spent a lot of time researching the book thoroughly. He provides a complete list of all the people he interviewed during his research including some of Paulo's friends, family members and former girfriends. Some of Coelho's fans may be disappointed and disillusioned as he is often portrayed in a bad light, but as the biography was published with Coelho's blessing, he was obviously happy for us to read about the negative aspects of his character as well as the positive.
A Warrior's Life was an interesting book to read, despite the fact that before beginning it I knew almost nothing about Paulo Coelho. I received a review copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers and was glad to have an opportunity to read a biography I would probably never have read otherwise.
http://shereadsnovels.wordpress.com
April 28, 2020
As I finished the last pages of this book a part of me wanted to give a one star rating, simply just from the rage I felt throughout the last two weeks I have spent reading this.
As a teenager Paulo Coelho’s work inspired me. I have read at least 6 of his novels, and it was so disheartening to discover how terrible of a human he is. For someone who has created a life’s work attempting to provide life lessons to his audience I felt sick reading about his past.
The book itself in my opinion is very well written. Morais does an incredible job reporting the facts and laying the book out in a way that engages the reader . I think simply by how much emotion he got out of me is also a testament to how well written it was. I wanted to throw the book across the room and have made a personal vow to never read another one of Coelho’s books again.
The amount of emotional, verbal and emotional and physical abuse he has done towards women is appalling. His narcissism and mental health issues are disturbing. And the way in which he uses, manipulates and steals others work is despicable.
I also find it shocking that this book was published in 2008 and in the era of the #metoo movement his fame and general popularity hasn’t been questioned.
But I am glad I read a book that had been sitting on my shelf for so long. I think knowing more about the writers we read shed light on culture and how swayed we can be from the surface image presented. I am guilty of so often not looking beneath. So with all the rage and frustration and deep disappointment good job on really getting under my skin Fernando Morais
As a teenager Paulo Coelho’s work inspired me. I have read at least 6 of his novels, and it was so disheartening to discover how terrible of a human he is. For someone who has created a life’s work attempting to provide life lessons to his audience I felt sick reading about his past.
The book itself in my opinion is very well written. Morais does an incredible job reporting the facts and laying the book out in a way that engages the reader . I think simply by how much emotion he got out of me is also a testament to how well written it was. I wanted to throw the book across the room and have made a personal vow to never read another one of Coelho’s books again.
The amount of emotional, verbal and emotional and physical abuse he has done towards women is appalling. His narcissism and mental health issues are disturbing. And the way in which he uses, manipulates and steals others work is despicable.
I also find it shocking that this book was published in 2008 and in the era of the #metoo movement his fame and general popularity hasn’t been questioned.
But I am glad I read a book that had been sitting on my shelf for so long. I think knowing more about the writers we read shed light on culture and how swayed we can be from the surface image presented. I am guilty of so often not looking beneath. So with all the rage and frustration and deep disappointment good job on really getting under my skin Fernando Morais
June 16, 2013
I have for now stopped reading this book. I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads hoping that I would be able to write a good review, but unfortunately I can hardly finish the book. I had never heard of Paulo Coelho or Fernando Morais. The first few chapters are just another way for Paulo to share his narcissism with the world. He loves being catered to and brags endlessly about his accomplishments. The rest of it is just the most boring account of anyone's life I have ever heard. It really could have been been shortened to a few paragraphs...
"He didn't do so well in school or socially, his parents put him in a mental institution when he was young, he became a writer, now you're hearing about it."
Not everyone's life is interesting. Maybe if I had any interest in his books or his life I may have liked it better. Throughout the whole book he talks about how famous he is worldwide and how much everyone loves him and his books, but I have yet to hear about him other than picking up this book.
"He didn't do so well in school or socially, his parents put him in a mental institution when he was young, he became a writer, now you're hearing about it."
Not everyone's life is interesting. Maybe if I had any interest in his books or his life I may have liked it better. Throughout the whole book he talks about how famous he is worldwide and how much everyone loves him and his books, but I have yet to hear about him other than picking up this book.
October 5, 2023
Световната слава на Паулу Коелю някак си ме е подминала. Единственото, което знам за него, е че героят на Георги Господинов от Времеубежище, отказа да си легне с девойка, защото помисли, че е видял книга на писателя на нощното ѝ шкафче. Прочела съм Алхимикът и доколкото си спомням ми хареса. Животът на известния писателя се оказа пълен с множество перипетии, приключения и обрати, достойни сами по себе си за роман. Автор на биографията е Фернандо Морайс - известен бразилски журналист. Той представя обективно и безпристрастно животоописание, основано на огромното количество дневници на писателя. За мен беше интересно заиграването на Паулу Коелю със сатанизма, някои трагични факти от живота му, както и безкрайната му последователност в следването на личната си легенда да стане известен писател. Книгата не успя да провокира желание да запълня празнината, която имам по отношение на творчеството му. Бих прочела Вероника решава да умре, само защото е трогнала Умберто Еко и Захир, заради евентуалната муза – журналистката Кристина Ламб.
August 12, 2011
Well, what can I say? I never expected that this timid Brazilian boy would have such an interesting life. With his exploits in the occult, his unwanted visits to the asylum, the reluctant experimental lifestyle, and the bevy of women that graces the pages, I would be compelled to say that this was an amazing read, but for some reason I felt a heavy hand in turning the pages. Most of the time I had second thoughts of picking up the book, but I came to realize that every situation lead him to his personal legend, his true destiny. A person's life doesn't have to follow a certain pattern or plan, and as soon as the reader understands and accepts the journey that the writer is taking him to, the whole read becomes a liberating experience. If you are a big Coelho fan like I am, it is a definite must read, but buckle down and have an open mind, for surprises lurk with every turn of the page. If you think his stories are interesting, wait until you read about his life.
March 29, 2022
For the first chapter I kept thinking am I really going to read this through? Is there nothing more to write about him than the jetset -lifestyle?
As the history was brought in I fell for the writing completely. Morais tells the most embarrassing details but tweaks the timeline just a little, so that the consequences can be viewed as reasons and vice versa. Really clever writing that leaves traces of an unreliable narrator so you can draw your own conclusions.
I am fascinated by people who can make phenomena out of themselves. You can clearly see Coelho's systematic approach to the fame. To him (as to most really successful people) it is not just the money but a deeper need for appreciation.
As the history was brought in I fell for the writing completely. Morais tells the most embarrassing details but tweaks the timeline just a little, so that the consequences can be viewed as reasons and vice versa. Really clever writing that leaves traces of an unreliable narrator so you can draw your own conclusions.
I am fascinated by people who can make phenomena out of themselves. You can clearly see Coelho's systematic approach to the fame. To him (as to most really successful people) it is not just the money but a deeper need for appreciation.
May 13, 2010
This book is only for hard-core Coelho readers! While it provides a lot of insight into his works, the style is monotonous and the author chooses some strange areas of focus. For instance, instead of talking about Coelho's mysterious pilgrimage, or detailing his involvement in Satanism, he devotes page after page to descriptions of fleeting love affairs and real estate investments. If Coelho wasn't such a fascinating person, a mystery wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma, this book would have put me to sleep
June 16, 2011
As a major fan of the Alchemist, I was completely blind-sided by this book. I assume I am actually rating the content and my change of opinion regarding Paulo Coelho than the actual work of the author. It isn't easy to read, but this is at least partly related to my own bias of just realizing what a true jerk Coelho actually was and maybe is?
I'm making a face trying to decide if it is worth reading or not... I guess I would say no - just assume what you will from the Alchemist and never look deeper.
I'm making a face trying to decide if it is worth reading or not... I guess I would say no - just assume what you will from the Alchemist and never look deeper.
May 15, 2010
A 'warts and all' authorized biography. Lots of black magic, sex and drugs, and personal dramas, before Coelho sees the light and repents. Some of it sounds a bit incredible, but we see how these events shaped his maturity as a storyteller with his experiences in pantomimes, film appearances and rock concerts. Surprisingly, not all of the book is set in Brazil – Coelho lived in London, Spain and the US at different times.
December 20, 2010
a glimpse on Paulo Coelho's personal life.. Comprise of many detail information that many might not know yet. I found the opening chapter to be quite interesting as it gives a new picture how Coelho is somehow fame-addict kinna writer. But if we take a closer look at Coelho's book, the Zahir, which the main character is basically his own, i guess the account could be count accountable
January 8, 2016
The book is the biography of an awesome writer, what more can i say about the story line of the book. Coming to the writing style of the author (Fernando Morais), he shows the life of Paulo unravel in front of our eyes. He takes us through nearly every bit of the wax and wane life of his. A must read for everyone.
October 10, 2010
Autobiography of one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho. Great insights. I was surprised that so many of his real life is reflected in his books which I hadn't realized had so much of his actual experiences in them.
September 30, 2021
The craziest life story that produces the abundant wisdom
I know that they say in order to write an interesting story, you have to live an interesting life. But holy crap. Paulo Coelho has a bizarre and turbulent life, it is as if Forrest Gump's serendipitous tendency was combined with Jenny's mischief and crazy experiments in life.
Was always ranked at the bottom of the class, he proceeded to have many different vocations after narrowly graduating from school. From creating and acting in theater plays, creating a famous cartoon strip, becoming an editor of a hippie and cult-related magazine, writing multiple best-selling songs, teaching theater, becoming a reporter at O Globo (the most respected newspaper in the country), to becoming a recording executive at 2 giants, and even becoming an expert Vampirologist, before he fulfilled a long awaited dream of becoming a writer.
But nothing was ever smooth sailing for young Paulo. He nearly died the very moment after he was born. And while suffering from many bouts of depression throughout his life, he almost committed suicide and was even admitted to insane asylum, 3 times, 2 of which he escaped (the 2nd of which made a spectacular story that ended him being written in a newspaper column in a town 2000 KM away).
Living at the heart of 1960s - 1970s, Paulo naturally became a hippie, organizing his life through living arrangement with many different “tribes”, experimenting with a lot of drugs, and despite of his mediocre looks he managed to have many women in his life. This includes many moments where he juggled two or three women at once, had various affairs, including one with a married woman, and had several genuine attempts of marriages that it makes the book a somewhat like the series How I Met Your Mother, where I got increasingly curious how he can ended up with that person mentioned at the first chapter when he was already older.
In between the shenanigans, Paulo often got himself into MORE shenanigans. Such as joining a satanic cult, briefly experimenting with homosexuality, nearly killed a person the first time he self-taught how to drive a car, soliciting prostitutes, worked as an actor in a soft porn movie, plagiarizing a newspaper article and claim it as his own, exploring bizarre occult and witchcraft, that weird event which can only be described as meeting with the devil, and went as far as claiming someone else’s work as his own in his book on vampire.
Yes, Paulo is not a saint, nor did he claim to be one. And that what makes his life story so damn interesting. Story that also includes all the injustices occurring to him, like the most prominent one where he experienced the military dictatorship's brutality and getting jailed for 5 days, enduring torture, as well as being kidnapped by the government, twice.
Another common feature of his life is his many travel stories, which were all gripping and so much fun to read. From his hippie adventure to Bolivia-Peru-Chile-Argentina-Uruguay, to the misadventure to Paraguay, the few months road trip in the US with so little money (in which he nearly died), the 8 months road trip across Western and Eastern Europe, until the many luxurious globe trekking he did after he became an international best seller writer.
Moreover, Paulo is also a person who believes in moments, signs, chances, or mythical meaning of events. For example, he very nearly got into a plane that would later crashed and killing everyone on board, and saw that as a sign. He had an epiphany during his travel in the US on the exact day Nixon resigned as the US President. He also encountered a meaningful moment when he visited Nazi concentration camp in Dacau, which forever changed his life. Hence it was no surprise when he encountered a strange individual in Paris, he was intrigued and ended up joining the Regnus Agnus Mundi (RAM) order, an alleged Catholic order that studies symbolic language through an oral teaching system. RAM would eventually provide him with the experiences that inspired most of his books.
Indeed, after a long last, after about 2/3rd of the book, Paulo eventually did what he’s always dreamed of: to be a proper writer. The remaining of the biography writes like visiting Liverpool to get the feel of the Beatles’ songs, where the writer years provide clues on how he got inspirations for his books.
Inspirations such as his activity in Spain that became the story in “The Pilgrimage”, his travel to Egypt that inspired “The Alchemist”, a woman called Brida for a novel with the same name “Brida”, “the Valkyries” that was inspired by women motorbike gang in Mexico that he met, “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept” on his experience in France, “Veronika Decides to Die” on his own experience in the 1960s (“Veronika is Paulo Coelho”), “Eleven Minutes” from a prostitute named Maria that he met in Geneva, and “The Zahir” which was inspired by a real life war correspondent.
At the very first chapter, the book began with a nice touch by showing what Paulo is doing today, as an international best seller author, jet setting around the world, living quietly in a small village in France. It served as an anchor for his proceeding crazy story, which made me repeatedly think throughout the book how can THIS guy become THAT Paulo Coelho. But after reading it word by word, from cover to cover, it all make perfect sense. It is simply impossible to get that much wisdom poured into the books if he hadn’t had a crazy turbulent life.
There’s never a dull moment in the book, just as there’s never a dull moment in the life of Paulo Coelho. And the author, Fernando Morais, portrays it excellently. One of the best biographies ever written.
I know that they say in order to write an interesting story, you have to live an interesting life. But holy crap. Paulo Coelho has a bizarre and turbulent life, it is as if Forrest Gump's serendipitous tendency was combined with Jenny's mischief and crazy experiments in life.
Was always ranked at the bottom of the class, he proceeded to have many different vocations after narrowly graduating from school. From creating and acting in theater plays, creating a famous cartoon strip, becoming an editor of a hippie and cult-related magazine, writing multiple best-selling songs, teaching theater, becoming a reporter at O Globo (the most respected newspaper in the country), to becoming a recording executive at 2 giants, and even becoming an expert Vampirologist, before he fulfilled a long awaited dream of becoming a writer.
But nothing was ever smooth sailing for young Paulo. He nearly died the very moment after he was born. And while suffering from many bouts of depression throughout his life, he almost committed suicide and was even admitted to insane asylum, 3 times, 2 of which he escaped (the 2nd of which made a spectacular story that ended him being written in a newspaper column in a town 2000 KM away).
Living at the heart of 1960s - 1970s, Paulo naturally became a hippie, organizing his life through living arrangement with many different “tribes”, experimenting with a lot of drugs, and despite of his mediocre looks he managed to have many women in his life. This includes many moments where he juggled two or three women at once, had various affairs, including one with a married woman, and had several genuine attempts of marriages that it makes the book a somewhat like the series How I Met Your Mother, where I got increasingly curious how he can ended up with that person mentioned at the first chapter when he was already older.
In between the shenanigans, Paulo often got himself into MORE shenanigans. Such as joining a satanic cult, briefly experimenting with homosexuality, nearly killed a person the first time he self-taught how to drive a car, soliciting prostitutes, worked as an actor in a soft porn movie, plagiarizing a newspaper article and claim it as his own, exploring bizarre occult and witchcraft, that weird event which can only be described as meeting with the devil, and went as far as claiming someone else’s work as his own in his book on vampire.
Yes, Paulo is not a saint, nor did he claim to be one. And that what makes his life story so damn interesting. Story that also includes all the injustices occurring to him, like the most prominent one where he experienced the military dictatorship's brutality and getting jailed for 5 days, enduring torture, as well as being kidnapped by the government, twice.
Another common feature of his life is his many travel stories, which were all gripping and so much fun to read. From his hippie adventure to Bolivia-Peru-Chile-Argentina-Uruguay, to the misadventure to Paraguay, the few months road trip in the US with so little money (in which he nearly died), the 8 months road trip across Western and Eastern Europe, until the many luxurious globe trekking he did after he became an international best seller writer.
Moreover, Paulo is also a person who believes in moments, signs, chances, or mythical meaning of events. For example, he very nearly got into a plane that would later crashed and killing everyone on board, and saw that as a sign. He had an epiphany during his travel in the US on the exact day Nixon resigned as the US President. He also encountered a meaningful moment when he visited Nazi concentration camp in Dacau, which forever changed his life. Hence it was no surprise when he encountered a strange individual in Paris, he was intrigued and ended up joining the Regnus Agnus Mundi (RAM) order, an alleged Catholic order that studies symbolic language through an oral teaching system. RAM would eventually provide him with the experiences that inspired most of his books.
Indeed, after a long last, after about 2/3rd of the book, Paulo eventually did what he’s always dreamed of: to be a proper writer. The remaining of the biography writes like visiting Liverpool to get the feel of the Beatles’ songs, where the writer years provide clues on how he got inspirations for his books.
Inspirations such as his activity in Spain that became the story in “The Pilgrimage”, his travel to Egypt that inspired “The Alchemist”, a woman called Brida for a novel with the same name “Brida”, “the Valkyries” that was inspired by women motorbike gang in Mexico that he met, “By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept” on his experience in France, “Veronika Decides to Die” on his own experience in the 1960s (“Veronika is Paulo Coelho”), “Eleven Minutes” from a prostitute named Maria that he met in Geneva, and “The Zahir” which was inspired by a real life war correspondent.
At the very first chapter, the book began with a nice touch by showing what Paulo is doing today, as an international best seller author, jet setting around the world, living quietly in a small village in France. It served as an anchor for his proceeding crazy story, which made me repeatedly think throughout the book how can THIS guy become THAT Paulo Coelho. But after reading it word by word, from cover to cover, it all make perfect sense. It is simply impossible to get that much wisdom poured into the books if he hadn’t had a crazy turbulent life.
There’s never a dull moment in the book, just as there’s never a dull moment in the life of Paulo Coelho. And the author, Fernando Morais, portrays it excellently. One of the best biographies ever written.
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November 14, 2009I won from First Reads! So excited- can't wait for the book to get here.
April 21, 2011
Sometimes more honest than I would have thought.
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