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SEEKING THE ALCHEMIST
The Star, StarTwo, Sept 24, 2003
Renowned Brazilian author Paulo Coelho recently released his 13th book
titled Eleven Minutes. In an exclusive e-mail interview with BRIGITTE
ROZARIO, he shares his views on writing, the creative process and using
success as a tool.
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Paulo Coelho in his office.
He typically writes one book every two years. |
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TO BE in (my) shoes is to understand that there is no average day in
life,” writes Paulo Coelho. And what a life it’s turned out to be for the
renowned author from Brazil!
The boy who was born in Rio de Janeiro, the child of an engineer and a
housewife, and who at one time entered the Jesuit school of San Ignacio in
Rio to study to become a man of the cloth, shot to fame in 1988 with his
second book The Alchemist. The tale of a shepherd boy who learns to
follow his dreams topped the international bestseller lists and even sold
more copies than any other book in the history of Brazil.
Today, with 13 books to his name, and countless translations of those
books in 55 different languages, Coelho is revered not merely as a good
storyteller but also an alchemist of sorts. He could perhaps even be
viewed as a modern-day philosopher and prophet.
Surely there is no “ordinary day” for this author whose life now
consists of book signings, interviews, and attending book fairs worldwide.
The pilgrim
At his website (www.paulocoelho.com),
Coelho explains that he started writing as a teenager. He thought the best
way of communicating was through poetry. When he grew up “words continued
to be the best way of understanding the world and understanding
(himself).”
In an e-mail interview, Coelho writes: “Literature by itself can do
nothing, except to make people feel less lonely. And this is what makes
the difference: from the moment that you understand you are not alone, you
get extra strength. That’s why I write — to understand better myself, and
to share myself with other people.”
According to Coelho, he writes a book every two years, usually in
Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro. That may sound like a tight deadline for
books that are about life and life’s problems and understanding the
meaning of it all.
A tall order for ordinary human beings. But Coelho seems to have no
problems. His first book, The Pilgrimage, was published in 1987.
The latest, Eleven Minutes, has just been released in Malaysia. In
the 16 years since The Pilgrimage, there have been 12 books. That works
out to almost a book a year.
Coelho says each book takes him an average of two to four weeks to
write (conception taking at least two years, and revision another four
months).
“When I write, I am a woman,” says Coelho in his e-mail. “I get
pregnant from life, and I don’t know how the baby looks like. My pregnancy
cycle lasts for two years, and I don’t take notes, I don’t make plans.
“The only thing that I know is that life put inside me a seed that will
grow when the time comes. Then, when the time comes, I sit and write.
Every creative act demands a respect for mystery, and I respect the
mystery, without trying to understand it.”
The mystery for us mere mortals and readers of Coelho’s books is not
just the creative act but also how Coelho manages to produce as much as he
does.
In between writing his books, Coelho writes a weekly column in the
Brazilian newspaper, O Globo.
His columns have been published on a regular basis in publications in
Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Estonia, Ecuador, Venezuela and even
Taiwan.
Coelho has also written a series of brief essays published online as
well as a newsletter, Warrior of the Light Online (www.warriorofthelight.com),
which his website claims has 30,000 subscribers. The Warrior of the
Light site consists of essays and ideas as well as quotes by famous
people.
The warrior of light, says Coelho, is “everyone who, despite his
everyday worries, is able to fight for his dreams.”
His books and essays speak the universal language of life and problems.
Doesn’t everybody have them? Aren’t we all looking for answers?
Unlike most books where translated versions pale in comparison to the
original work, Coelho’s works are devoured by readers worldwide, no matter
what language the books are in. Coelho writes, “These are languages (in
which) I cannot even read my name! Therefore, I trust translators and
publishers, as they also want to show their best.”
Indeed, Coelho has been right to trust his translators and publishers,
seeing that his books reach out to people of all nationalities,
backgrounds and religions. From singer Madonna and actress Julia Roberts,
to people in Ipoh and Teheran – his fans seem to come from all corners of
the world.
His journey
In May 2000, Coelho became the first non-Muslim writer since 1979 to
make an official visit to Iran. He was invited by the International Centre
for Dialogue among Civilisations.
Before his visit, it was estimated that millions of pirated copies of
his books had already been sold (Iran has never signed the International
Copyright Agreement). Since that visit, Coelho has become the only
non-Muslim writer to receive royalties in Iran.
Thousands of Iranian readers attended his book signings and talks. At
his website, Coelho writes: “I received many gifts, I received much love,
but above all I received the understanding of my work, and this touched me
profoundly.
“To my great surprise, my soul had arrived before myself, my books were
present and I found old friends in the people I had never met before. I
did not feel like a stranger in a foreign land. It was something that
moved me deeply and filled me with joy since I felt that beyond anything
else, the possibility of a dialogue with any human being on the face of
the earth exists. Iran showed me this was possible.”
His books do seem to have a special charm in the way they reach out to
people even though they are peppered with elements of Coelho’s own
Catholic faith.
Explaining how his books reach out to readers universally, Coelho
writes: “First and foremost, I am a writer – and a writer is always facing
the challenge of a new book. This is, for me, what makes life interesting:
there is always a new book to be written, which involves pain, joy,
suffering, relief, feelings of a person who is alive.
“To do that, I need to live my life fully, which I do, accepting all
challenges and all possibilities. Having said that, I don’t think why this
or that happened, and I became a worldwide celebrity.
“I think: ‘Am I honest in what I am doing? Can I still talk to my
soul?’ The secret of the success of my books, if there is one, is the
absence of secrets.
“By writing Veronika Decides to Die (1998), I thought about the
fear we have of accepting our differences; it is a book that I wrote to my
soul alone.
“When I wrote The Alchemist, I was trying to understand my own
life, and the only way that I could do it was through a metaphor. Then,
the book – with no support of the press, because the media normally
refuses to publish anything about an unknown writer – made its way to the
readers, and the readers started to discover that we share the same
questions. Little by little, the book started to travel abroad, and today
it is one of the bestselling books of all time.
“But this success came slowly, based on a word-of-mouth promotion, and
this gives me the sensation, the wonderful sensation, that I am not alone.
“Of course, being a well-known author, I never feel like a stranger in
a strange land, and I am pleased with the idea that people all over the
world share a kind of very modern perspective of life.”
Accepting life and its rewards
Coelho’s latest book, Eleven Minutes, is about a woman who goes
to a foreign land, becomes a prostitute and searches for her own soul. It
is a book that challenges readers to think about the sacredness of sex. It
touches on love and sex, and the interchangeable nature of both.
Eleven Minutes, which Barcelona-based literary agency Sant Jordi
Asociados claims has received “hundreds of e-mail” messages from readers
who loved it, has also been panned by some.
Author Ian Rankin in the BBC show Newsnight Review (July 28) called the
book “dreadful.” Another panellist on the show, playwright and critic
Bonnie Greer said that while Coelho’s book raised pertinent questions on
life, they were not anything new. These questions were the centre of
Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina and Heart of Darkness.
(For a transcript of this show, go to
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/ review/3104045.stm.)
Asked for his reaction to critics’ less than kind comments, Coelho
opted not to reply to this writer’s question.
What are a few critics to a world famous author whose books are loved
the world over?
The Alchemist has sold about 47 million books, according to the Sant
Jordi website (www.santjordi-asociados.com).
In May 1993, HarperCollins published 50,000 copies of The Alchemist.
It was said to be the largest ever initial print run of a Brazilian book
in the United States.
Among Coelho’s accolades are:
● Knight of Arts and Letters
(France, 1996)
● Crystal Award by the World
Economic Forum (1999)
● Chevalier de L’Ordre national de
la Legion d’honneur (France, 2000) – one of the most prestigious awards in
France
The movie rights of The Alchemist have been acquired by Warner
Brothers. According to Movies.com (movies.go.com/movies/A/alchemist_2004/index.html),
Laurence Fishburne will write, direct and star in the movie. It is
tentatively set for a 2004 release date.
Coelho is also Special Advisor to the Unesco programme, Spiritual
Convergences and Intercultural Dialogues. He has been a playwright,
theatre director, journalist and songwriter (for Brazilian pop stars Elis
Regina and Raul Seixas).
Fruits of his labour
What a long and winding road for the boy from Rio whose parents wanted
him to become an engineer.
Coelho, 56, channels the royalties from his books to a non-profit
organisation called the Paulo Coelho Institute. Based in Rio de Janeiro,
the Institute seeks to provide opportunities to the underprivileged and
ostracised members of Brazilian society.
Explains Coelho: “For a writer, to be famous is very abstract, because
he does not have direct contact with the readers. Therefore, the only
visible change is that I know that several doors are open, and I have to
choose the good ones. For example, I chose to participate in the Rainbow
Project supporting young people whose countries are at war, as I choose to
engage myself in a Unesco programme that tries to create a bridge between
different cultures (Spiritual Convergences and Intercultural Dialogues).
“And that’s why I also created the Paulo Coelho Institute which takes
care of 450 children in Rio de Janeiro. If you understand St Paul’s motto
sic transit gloria mundi (the glory of the world is transitory) you
may do your best to use success as a tool, not as an end in itself.
“As for money, I have what I need to live a comfortable life, and this
is the fruit of my work, which I am very proud of.”
Well said for the original “Warrior of Light.”
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
ALSO:
On The Road to Tantra, Dec 14 , 2003
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