Paulo Coelho

Who Is Paulo Coelho?

Paulo Coelho is a renowned Brazilian author, best known for his international bestseller The Alchemist. At the age of 38, Coelho experienced a profound spiritual awakening during a pilgrimage in Spain, which became the inspiration for his debut book, The Pilgrimage. His second book, The Alchemist, propelled him to global fame, selling over 35 million copies. Today, Coelho continues to write, producing a new book approximately every two years.

Early Life

Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a devout Catholic family. He was educated at Jesuit schools and displayed an early desire to become a writer. However, his parents, skeptical about the viability of a writing career in Brazil, discouraged his aspirations.

During his teenage years, Coelho’s rebellious nature led his parents to institutionalize him in a mental asylum three times, beginning when he was 17. Reflecting on this period, Coelho stated, “I have forgiven. It happens with love, all the time—when you have this love towards someone else, but you want this person to change, to be like you. And then love can be very destructive.”

After his release, Coelho briefly attended law school but abandoned his studies to embrace the countercultural movement of the 1970s. Immersed in the “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” ethos of the time, he began writing song lyrics for Brazilian musicians, many of whom were critical of the country’s military dictatorship. Coelho’s activism led to his imprisonment on three occasions, during which he endured torture.

Despite these early struggles, Coelho’s resilience and creative vision eventually established him as one of the world’s most beloved literary voices.

Pilgrimage

In 1986, at the age of 39, Paulo Coelho experienced a transformative moment during a visit to Spain. After exploring various professions, Coelho embarked on a 500-mile journey along the Road to Santiago de Compostela, a renowned Catholic pilgrimage route. This spiritual quest profoundly influenced him, sparking a personal awakening that inspired The Pilgrimage. Written in his native Portuguese, this autobiographical account of his trek marked the beginning of his full-time dedication to writing, as he left behind his previous careers to pursue his passion.

The Alchemist

The following year, Coelho wrote The Alchemist, completing the allegorical novel in a mere two weeks during a burst of creativity. The story follows an Andalusian shepherd boy on a mystical journey to fulfill his personal legend, learning to communicate with the “Language of the World” along the way. Initially, the book attracted minimal attention. However, a French translation catapulted it onto bestseller lists in France in the early 1990s, leading to international acclaim. Today, The Alchemist is a global phenomenon, with over 35 million copies sold and recognition as the most-translated book by a living author.

Since the success of The Alchemist, Coelho has written approximately one book every two years, adhering to a unique ritual of beginning his writing process only after encountering a white feather in January of an odd year. This practice, while unconventional, has been remarkably effective. Coelho’s literary repertoire comprises 26 books, collectively selling more than 65 million copies across at least 59 languages.

Personal Life

Paulo Coelho’s work is often polarizing—praised by admirers for its inspirational and transformative qualities, yet dismissed by critics as overly simplistic or lacking depth. Despite this, Coelho remains undeterred, confidently rejecting the label of “self-help” writer. “I am not a self-help writer; I am a self-problem writer,” he asserts. Regarding critiques, he adds, “When I write a book, I write it for myself; the reaction is up to the reader. It’s not my business whether people like or dislike it.”

Married since 1980 to artist Christina Oiticica, Coelho splits his time between Rio de Janeiro and a country house in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. In 1996, he founded the Paulo Coelho Institute, an organization dedicated to supporting children and the elderly. Coelho continues to write, embodying the principles of connection and destiny explored in his celebrated works.

Reflecting on the universality of storytelling, Coelho once remarked: “[Jorge Luis] Borges said there are only four stories to tell: a love story between two people, a love story between three people, the struggle for power, and the voyage. All of us writers rewrite these same stories ad infinitum.”