Paulo Coelho
1 book analyzed
Biography
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. As a teenager, he rejected his parents' plans for him and showed signs of nonconformity — he wanted to be a writer. His parents had him committed to a mental institution three times between 1966 and 1968, believing he was mentally ill. He was subjected to electroconvulsive therapy. He emerged each time more determined. He then spent years working as a songwriter, lyricist, and briefly as a practitioner of occultism before experiencing a religious crisis and reconversion to Catholicism. In 1986, he walked the Camino de Santiago — the ancient pilgrimage route across Spain — an experience he described as transformative. Two years later, he wrote The Alchemist in two weeks. The book was initially published in Brazil by a small publisher, sold only 900 copies in its first year, and the publisher dropped it. A larger Brazilian publisher picked it up. Then it exploded — first in Brazil, then globally, becoming one of the best-selling books in history with over 65 million copies sold in 80 languages.