Paulo Coelho speaks to THT

Paulo Coelho is not only one of the most widely read, but also one of the most influential authors writing today. Born in 1947 in Rio de Janerio, he worked as a director, actor, lyricist and a journalist before he plunged full time into literature. After not so successful initial forays into writing, in 1986 he published The Pilgrimage based on his pilgrimage to St James of Compostella. The following year Coelho wrote The Alchemist which became one of the best- selling books of all time. Interestingly, slow initial sales had convinced his first publisher to drop the novel. The book remains one of the literary phenomena of the 20th century and topped the best sellers chart in 74 countries selling more than 35 million copies. The Alchemist also placed Coelho into Guinness Book of World Records in 2008 for being the most translated book in the world by a living author. His other memorable works include Brida, The Valkyries, Veronika Decides to Die, Eleven Minutes, Zahir and Witch of Portobello. His latest book The Winner Stands Alone will be hitting the stands in Nepal later this month. He has sold more than 150 million copies and his work has been translated into 67 languages and edited in more than 150 countries. Paulo Coelho talks to Dhrub Painuly of The Himalayan Times in an exclusive email inter- view and thanks the Nepali people for their 'strength, beauty and hope'

THT: You are amongst the most widely read authors in the world. What makes you such a successful writer and how does it feel to know that you influence so many lives around the world?

PC: Regarding my success, I really don’t know why my characters are so popular in different parts of the world and in different cultures.

I don’t have a ready-made formula to apply when I embark on a new book, but I’m always controlled by many elements — discipline, compassion and a sincere eagerness to understand myself.

When I start a new book, I try to approach myself from a different angle. In The Alchemist, for example, I was trying to explain to myself what writing meant to me. The way I found to do this was through a metaphor.

In Eleven Minutes, I started with the question of why sexuality is considered one of the major issues in life. But I had my doubts. And that’s why the hero asks if it’s true that the world could revolve around 11 minutes. I talked a lot about sexual relations in the novel, but in the end I doubt if the world really revolves around sex.

In The Zahir, on the other hand, there is a kind of a snapshot of my present moment as a famous writer. The novel is full of comments on what it means to be rich and famous, on the nature of marriage and the responsibilities of the writer.

In my latest book, The Winner Stands Alone I wanted to explore how our dreams could be manipulated, and how far people are willing to go for something that is an illusion.

I never think in terms of influence, but rather of sharing things that are dear to me. I prefer to keep on questioning.

THT: Did your life change after The Pilgrimage and Alchemist ? In the sense that this book got you worldwide recognition?

PC: My first book The Pilgrimage is basically my story. I wrote about my real journey, my true story — I was almost 40 years old, dreaming of becoming a writer, but never daring to take the necessary steps. In other books, such as The Alchemist, I use my life as a metaphor; none is as autobiographical as my first book.

During my pilgrimage it became increasingly apparent that I wasn’t happy and I had to do something about it — stop making excuses. I realised that you don’t have to jump through a series of complicated hoops to achieve a goal. You can just look at a mountain and get a connection with God, you don’t have to understand the mountain to feel that.

When I first got back from the trip it was an anti-climax. I found it hard to acclimatise to my normal life and I was impatient to change my life immediately. But changes happen when you’re ready. It took a few months to realise that I must solely concentrate on writing a book, rather than trying to fill various roles as I had before. The pilgrimage was to be my subject and as I started I took my first step towards my dream.

Going on a pilgrimage reawakens that awareness, but you don’t need to walk the Road to Santiago to get the benefits. Life itself is a pilgrimage. Every day is different, every day can have a magic moment, but we don’t see the opportunity, because we think: ‘Oh this is boring I’m just commuting to work.’ But we are all on a pilgrimage whether we like it or not and the target, or goal, the real Santiago, if you like, is death. You must get as much as you can from the journey, because — in the end — the journey is all you have. It doesn’t matter what you accumulate in terms of material wealth, because you are going to die anyway, so why not live? When you realise that you can be brave and that is the first tenant of any spiritual quest — to take risks.



THT: Do you actually write a new book when a feather floats down before your feet? When did this actually start?

PC: I only write a book once every two years, starting in January, after finding a white feather within this month.

This ritual began with my first book. I remember I was having a very difficult time to actually write and so went out for a walk and asked God for a sign. In the street, a white feather appeared out of the blue and I understood the sign.



THT: Mr J keeps appearing in your books? Is he for real?

PC: Of course — he is my master.



THT: What role has religion played in your writing?

PC: It’s important though to distinguish between religion and spirituality. I am a Catholic, so religion for me is a way of having discipline and collective worship with persons who share the same mystery. But in the end all religions tend to point to the same light. In between the light and us, sometimes there are too many rules. Some of these rules are important, other should not blind us do not diminish the intensity of this light, the soul of the world



THT: If I can quote from your latest book The Winner Stands Alone. What does being ‘normal’ mean to you personally?

PC: In my wonderings I came to believe that a person has a personal legend to fulfill. What is a personal legend? It is the reason why we are alive. We have dreams, that are not necessarily the dreams that our parents or society has for us. So, we must get rid of the idea of fulfilling what people expect us to do, and start to do what we expect from our lives. The message in Veronika Decides to Die is that — dare to be different. You are unique, and you have to accept you as you are, instead of trying to repeat other people’s destinies or patterns. Insanity is to behave like someone that you are not. Normality is the capacity to express your feelings. From the moment that you don’t fear to share your heart, you are a free person.



THT: People all over the world read you. But who are your favourite authors?

PC: My favorite writers were those that actually had a big impact in my personal life. The Argentinean Jorge Luis Borges helped me to understand the symbolical language of humankind. The Brazilian Jorge Amado made me understand the Brazilian soul. The American Henry Miller made me understand that writing must be spontaneous. The English William Blake showed me the visionary aspect of writing.



THT: You are 62 right now. How long do you plan to continue to write?

PC: I’m living the dream I had in my youth but I never look upon this dream as something that has an end. As long as I’m able to live, think and love, the spark will continue.



THT: Any message for people of Nepal who are now recovering from the bloodshed and turmoil of the last 13 years?

PC: It’s rather the Nepalis that send me a message of faith: I thank them for their strength, their beauty and hope.