Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
At age 17 he announced his intention to be a writer. It was a decision bitterly opposed by his parents, partly because Brazil at that time was under a military junta that persecuted writers and intellectuals.
Coelho's rebellious behaviour led his parents to have him confined to a mental hospital in Rio de Janeiro where he received shock treatment. He escaped - and was returned - three times.
With the arrival of the 1960's Coelho threw himself energetically into the counterculture of drugs and rock-and-roll.
In his 20's he fulfilled his ambition to be a writer and worked as a playwright, a theatre director, a journalist, and a song-writer for Brazilian pop music stars such as Elis Regina and Raul Seixas.
In 1974, says Coelho "my life collapsed".
That year he was arrested three times, the first time as an innocent bystander at a bank robbery, the second time for speaking out against the establishment at a pop concert. After being released by the police he was arrested a third time by paramilitaries who tortured him for a week.
In the late 1970's his life was back on track again and he became artistic director for CBS in Brazil.
But in 1979 he was suddenly sacked without explanation and he spent the next 2 years knocking on doors trying to get back into the music industry.
In 1981 he decided to try his luck in Europe and there met a member of an obscure Catholic Sect that studies the language of symbols: RAM or Regnus Agnus Mundi. He progressed within the sect and eventually became a Magus.
In 1986, on instructions from his mentor within RAM, Coelho undertook the pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostella in Spain.
The following year he published The Pilgrimage, an account of his experiences on the 'Road of Santiago'.
In 1988 he wrote the book that would make him an international celebrity, The Alchemist, a story about following one's destiny and being open to the universe of signs and symbols.
The Alchemist became an instant best-seller and has since sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
Coelho's eight novels have sold over 37 million copies in 56 languages and have been published in 140 countries.
In 1998 the French magazine 'Lire' listed Coelho as the second best-selling author worldwide.
Paulo Coelho has won over 15 international awards for his writing including the prized French award, the Insignia of Arts and Letters (1996). Critics have praised his writing for its "symbolic language that does not speak to our brains, but to our hearts".
In 1998 Paulo Coelho was received by the Pope in the Vatican.
He has been appointed to the United Nations as Special Advisor for Spiritual Convergences and International Dialogues.
Coelho's view on happiness: "The most mediocre thing in the world. I'd rather go by the idea of joy."
(c) 2002 by Michael Southon
------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
In the business of freelance writing, it's not enough to... Read More
So many clients come to me as a book or... Read More
1. Write it fast, fix it later.2. Commit to writing... Read More
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
Freelance writer STANLEY BURKHARDT has a passion for animals. He... Read More
If Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be...uh, very... Read More
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
ACCEPT, EXCEPT Not commonly seen even from unpublished writers, who... Read More
Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More
Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as... Read More
When I first started tracking the information preferences of people... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers... Read More
Without denigrating the work and contribution of Syd Field to... Read More
1. Turning your idea into a bookWith non-fiction books the... Read More
To capitalize on ways to make extra income you can... Read More
Many of the most effective low-cost marketing strategies require writing.... Read More
Story Structure Templates are the fastest way to write screenplays.... Read More
Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More
Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal... Read More
Concision. (Sounds like I made up another word.) It's the... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips:Your title is your selling tool. It's... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More
You've decided to write your very own Newsletter to promote... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come... Read More
Poems. Just the mention of them makes me smile. Why?... Read More
With the advent of email communications in the workplace, it's... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More
Compiling a list of the history's ten best writers is... Read More
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
If you are looking for copywriter books, you'll want to... Read More
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many... Read More
As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Every writer expends a great deal of creative energy developing... Read More
Part 1 of this article discussed the experience you need... Read More
You can learn a lot about what it takes to... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More
If your dream is to get published, the chance is... Read More
What do you mean, you don't have a website yet?... Read More
People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More
Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More
Writing |