“One day, you will wake up and there won’t be any more
time, to do things you’ve always wanted. Do It Now!” It took him 40
years to write his first book and to "do what he always wanted to do,"
but best selling Brazilian author Paulo Coelho lived the quote he
preached.
Perhaps one of the most well known authors of his generation, Paulo Coelho wrote his first book at 40 years of age. Coelho has published 30 books. Sold more than 150 million books in over 150 countries and his works have been translated into 80 languages. He is one of the best selling Portuguese language authors.
1947 August 24 born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1963-1967 Sent to asylum three times (16-20 years of age) and released in 1967
1967-1968 went to law school but dropped out to become a hippy traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico and Europe
Late 1960s-1970s - wrote lyrics for Raul Seixas, the Brazilian rock star
1974 – arrested for “subversive” activities by the ruling militia (bundled into a car, taken to a secret headquarters, and tortured with electric shock to his genitals) Joined Alternative Society, an organization that defended the individual’s right to free expression and began publishing a series of comic strips calling for more freedom.
1970s-1980s – worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career Between 1972 and 1982, Coelho penned scores of tunes -- with Seixas and other Brazilian singers -- and made tons of money. Hoping for some normalcy in his life, he went to work for Polygram record company. And he met the woman who became his first wife. They moved to London in 1977, but Coelho was unhappy and wanted to write again. He went back to Brazil and they divorced. He married twice more before settling down with an old friend, Christina Oiticica . "She is my fourth wife," he says, "and last."
1982 – published his first book, Hell Archives – low sales
In 1982, Coelho and Oiticica visited Germany. While touring the concentration camp at Dachau, Coelho had a vision. He says a man appeared to him. A few weeks later, Coelho ran into the ghostly man again at a cafe in Amsterdam. "You must close the circle," the man said crypto-mystically. "You will see the image of God in everything from now on." The man instructed Coelho to rediscover Catholicism and to take the pilgrim's walk on the road to Santiago, between France and Spain.
1986 – at 39 years of age walked the 500 mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain – the turning point in his life. Also known as The Way of St. James - one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned
1987 – at 40 years of age published The Alchemist through a small Brazilian publishing house who made an initial print run of 900 copies and decided not to reprint. He found a bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his next book Brida, The Alchemist became a Brazilian bestseller.
1990s - The Alchemist attracted little attention at first until a French language translation suddenly leaped onto the bestseller lists in France. New translations followed and The Alchemist became a worldwide bestseller.
Early 2000s – upended the publishing industry by pirating his own work and made it available online in countries where it was not easily found, using the argument that ideas should be disseminated free.
Quotes from The Alchemist:
Perhaps one of the most well known authors of his generation, Paulo Coelho wrote his first book at 40 years of age. Coelho has published 30 books. Sold more than 150 million books in over 150 countries and his works have been translated into 80 languages. He is one of the best selling Portuguese language authors.
1947 August 24 born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1963-1967 Sent to asylum three times (16-20 years of age) and released in 1967
1967-1968 went to law school but dropped out to become a hippy traveling through South America, North Africa, Mexico and Europe
Late 1960s-1970s - wrote lyrics for Raul Seixas, the Brazilian rock star
1974 – arrested for “subversive” activities by the ruling militia (bundled into a car, taken to a secret headquarters, and tortured with electric shock to his genitals) Joined Alternative Society, an organization that defended the individual’s right to free expression and began publishing a series of comic strips calling for more freedom.
1970s-1980s – worked as an actor, journalist, and theatre director before pursuing his writing career Between 1972 and 1982, Coelho penned scores of tunes -- with Seixas and other Brazilian singers -- and made tons of money. Hoping for some normalcy in his life, he went to work for Polygram record company. And he met the woman who became his first wife. They moved to London in 1977, but Coelho was unhappy and wanted to write again. He went back to Brazil and they divorced. He married twice more before settling down with an old friend, Christina Oiticica . "She is my fourth wife," he says, "and last."
1982 – published his first book, Hell Archives – low sales
In 1982, Coelho and Oiticica visited Germany. While touring the concentration camp at Dachau, Coelho had a vision. He says a man appeared to him. A few weeks later, Coelho ran into the ghostly man again at a cafe in Amsterdam. "You must close the circle," the man said crypto-mystically. "You will see the image of God in everything from now on." The man instructed Coelho to rediscover Catholicism and to take the pilgrim's walk on the road to Santiago, between France and Spain.
1986 – at 39 years of age walked the 500 mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain – the turning point in his life. Also known as The Way of St. James - one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem, and a pilgrimage route on which a plenary indulgence could be earned
1987 – at 40 years of age published The Alchemist through a small Brazilian publishing house who made an initial print run of 900 copies and decided not to reprint. He found a bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his next book Brida, The Alchemist became a Brazilian bestseller.
1990s - The Alchemist attracted little attention at first until a French language translation suddenly leaped onto the bestseller lists in France. New translations followed and The Alchemist became a worldwide bestseller.
Early 2000s – upended the publishing industry by pirating his own work and made it available online in countries where it was not easily found, using the argument that ideas should be disseminated free.
Quotes from The Alchemist:
- “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
- “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
- “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
- “I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.”
- “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
- “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."
- “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.”
- “There is only one way to learn. It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”
- “What is the world’s greatest lie?” the little boy asks. The old man replies, “It’s this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”
- “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
- “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”
- “The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.”
-----
Questions:- Coelho took 40 years to write his first book. This is a good reminder that age is not a factor and that you can start to translate your dream into reality anytime. Are you waiting for that perfect time to pursue your dream? How long will you wait? Why are you waiting?
- The fear of failure paralyzes many people into inaction. Does fear stop you from trying new things?
- Coelho persevered through tremendously difficult situations when he was young but it did not stop him from achieving his dream. What difficult situations have you faced? Are they holding you back from moving forward?
- Julie Bosman, "Best Selling Author Gives Away His Work," The New York Times, September 26, 2011.
- Elizabeth Day, "A Mystery Even to Himself," The Telegraph, June 13, 2005.
- Paulo Coelho, Wikipedia
- Paulo Coelho, Biography
