Paulo Coelho Biography

Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a rebellious teenager and his parents committed him to an asylum three times. When Coelho was 38 years old, he had a spiritual awakening in Spain and wrote about it in his first book, "The Pilgrimage". It was his second book, "The Alchemist", which made him famous. He’s sold 35 million copies and now writes about one book every two years.

Coelho's fans call his books inspiring and life-changing. His critics dismiss his writing as New Age drivel, promoting a vague spirituality devoid of rigor. A confident writer who rejects the self-help label—"I am not a self-help writer; I am a self-problem writer"—Coelho dismisses his naysayers' critiques. "When I write a book I write a book for myself; the reaction is up to the reader," he says. "It's not my business whether people like or dislike it."

Coelho has been married to his wife, the artist Christina Oiticica, since 1980. Together the couple spends half the year in Rio de Janeiro and the other half in a country house in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. In 1996, Coelho founded the Paulo Coelho Institute, which provides support to children and the elderly. He continues to write, following his own version of The Alchemist's "Language of the World." 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," Coelho has said. "All of us writers rewrite these same stories ad infinitum."

Bibliography:

• Year Portuguese title English title
• 1974 O Manifesto de Krig-há / The Manifest of Krig-há
• 1974 Teatro da Educação / Theater For Education
• 1982 Arquivos do Inferno / Hell Archives
• 1986 O Manual Prático do Vampirismo / Practical Manual of Vampirism
• 1987 O Diário de Um Mago / The Pilgrimage
• 1988 O Alquimista / The Alchemist
• 1990 Brida / Brida
• 1991 O Dom Supremo / The Supreme Gift
• 1992 As Valkírias / The Valkyries
• 1994 Maktub /Maktub
• 1994 Na margem do rio Piedra eu sentei e chorei / By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
• 1996 O Monte Cinco / The Fifth Mountain
• 1997 Letras do amor de um profeta / Love Letters from a Prophet
• 1997 Manual do guerreiro da luz / Manual of the Warrior of Light
• 1998 Veronika decide morrer / Veronika Decides to Die
• 1998 Palavras essenciais / Essential Words
• 2000 O Demônio e a srta Prym / The Devil and Miss Prym
• 2001 Histórias para pais, filhos e netos / Fathers, Sons and Grandsons
• 2003 Onze Minutos / Eleven Minutes
• 2004 E no sétimo dia And on the Seventh Day (collection of the novels By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, Veronika Decides to Die and The Devil and Miss Prym)
• 2004 O Gênio e as Rosas / The Genie and the Roses
• 2004 Viagens / Journeys
• 2004 Vida / Life
• 2005 O Zahir / The Zahir
• 2005 Caminhos Recolhidos / Revived Paths
• 2006 Ser como um rio que flui / Like the Flowing River
• 2006 A bruxa de Portobello / The Witch of Portobello
• 2008 O vencedor está só / The Winner Stands Alone
• 2009 Amor / Love
• 2010 Aleph / Aleph
• 2011 Fábulas
• 2012 Manuscrito Encontrado em Accra / Manuscript Found in Accra
• 2014 Adultério / Adultery