Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho de Souza was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended a Jesuit school. At the age of 17, his parents briefly committed him to a mental institution. He later enrolled in law school but left after one year to travel extensively, living as a hippie in various locations across South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe during the 1960s. Upon returning to Brazil, Coelho began a career as a songwriter, collaborating with prominent Brazilian musicians such as Elis Regina, Rita Lee, and Raul Seixas. However, in 1974, he was arrested and experienced torture by the ruling military government, due to the perceived left-wing content of his lyrics.

In 1986, Coelho undertook a significant journey, walking the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. This pilgrimage led to a spiritual awakening and served as inspiration for his first major literary work, “The Pilgrimage,” published in 1987. The following year, 1988, he released “The Alchemist.” Initially, it had a small print run and was not immediately successful, but a larger publishing house reissued it with greater success. After the publication of his subsequent book, “Brida,” in 1990, “The Alchemist” gained significant international recognition. HarperCollins published it in 1994, leading to its status as a global bestseller. Subsequently, Coelho shifted his focus to writing full-time, often producing a new novel every two years.

Throughout his career, Coelho has published more than a dozen novels, with four of them being autobiographical: “The Pilgrimage,” “Hippie,” “The Valkyries,” and “Aleph.” His other works frequently delve into themes of faith and spirituality, often drawing on various religious and philosophical traditions, including Sufism. His books have been translated into 83 languages and distributed in over 170 countries, resulting in total sales of 320 million copies. In 2002, he became a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. In 2016, his novel “The Alchemist” became a New York Times bestseller, underscoring its enduring appeal and impact on readers worldwide. He once initiated a children’s book project with basketball player Kobe Bryant, but this collaboration was discontinued after Bryant’s passing.