Who is paulo

Born in Rio de Janeiro in , he longed from a young age to become a writer, an ambition his parents frowned upon so much that they sent him, aged 17, to an asylum.

Like now, I read a lot and I didn't socialise. They wanted to help me. He was eventually released in and enrolled in law school — one of several attempts to become, as he puts it disdainfully, "normal". Later he dropped out, became a hippy and made a fortune writing lyrics for Raul Seixas , the Brazilian rock star.

Brazil's ruling militia took exception to his lyrics some of which were influenced by the satanist Aleister Crowley. As a result, he was repeatedly arrested for subversion and eventually tortured with electric shocks to his genitals. These experiences, incidentally, account for his scorn for the idea that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who was photographed with Coelho's books on his shelves, might have learned anything from the Brazilian's thought: "I think he had never read my books.

It was PR. I wonder if he knew the story of the author he would have been proud of having this book on his shelves. I was part of these dreadful years in South America. Why, given his history, didn't he choose the path of renunciation? After the asylum and torture, I said: 'I am tired. Let me behave like a normal person. Let me be the person who my parents wanted me to be — or society or whatever.

I was normal for seven years. I could not stand to be normal. Then I divorced and married another person who is now my wife [the artist Christina Oiticica ] and I said: 'Let's travel and try to find the meaning of life. I sold everything and I started travelling. His epiphany came in when he walked the mile road to the Galician pilgrimage site Santiago de Compostela. He described his spiritual awakening there in one of his earliest novels, The Pilgrimage.

I may be defeated but I will not fail. This distinction between defeats and failure is central to Coelho's new book. The former are incidental, chastening wounds risked by those who listen to their heart, the latter a lifelong abnegation of the responsibility to follow your dream. Or as the narrator of Manuscript Found in Accra puts it: "Take pride in your scars.

Scars are medals branded on the flesh and your enemies will be frightened by them because they are proof of your long experience of battle. I am proud of my scars and they taught me to live better and not to be afraid of living. He looks at me sharply: "They taught me also to be a cold-blooded killer. No regrets, no hatred, just an act of — " He makes a throat-cutting gesture.

He's not the fluffy bunny his writings might indicate him to be? I can be very tough. If people think you're naive, they discover in the next second that they don't have heads. So love your enemy, but keep your blacklist updated. Coelho clearly thinks highly of his readers and online fans. Indeed, Manuscript Found in Accra could be considered the ultimate tribute to them — the collaboration of sage and his online disciples. Share your fears, Coelho tweeted his followers, that I might offer hope and comfort.

However, his mother was of the opinion that Coelho should do pursue something along the lines of his father, who was an engineer. This longing and unwavering determination ultimately led to his parents enrolling him in a mental institution. Coelho managed flee thrice and finally was released when he was It captured and held my attention the entire time. Every single person should read this at least twice in their lifetime.

Maybe even more. Not only do I love his writing style, I love the content of his thoughts held to words. In , 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. Anne Rice is a best-selling author of popular series including 'Vampire Chronicles,' which includes the books 'Interview with the Vampire' and 'Queen of the Damned.

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