Research Paper On Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho was born on the 24th of August in 1947 to two devout Catholics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By an early age, they had enrolled him in a Jesuit school system in hopes of him aspiring to one day be a priest. Wanting to be a writer, Coelho told his parents of his dream, and as a result, they committed him to an asylum at the age of 17. He endured electroconvulsive treatment, which is shock treatment, to adjust his “rebellious” ways (“The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho Biography” 1). When he left the asylum for the last time, which would be his third time, he enrolled in law school, and dropped out soon after (“Paulo Coelho Biography” 1). Once he left school, Coelho proceeded to travel through Latin America, North Africa, and parts of Europe.

Coelho married Christina Oiticica in 1980 and they have no children. Awhile after the incident with the Brazilian para-militants, he met a man in a cafe in Amsterdam whom advised Coelho to go on a traditional Roman Catholic pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. That is just what he did in 1986. At age 36, he walked 500 miles, and later gave him the inspiration to write "The Pilgrimage." Along the pilgrimage, he found the courage in himself to pursue a writing career (“The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho Biography” 1). He then quit his job and devoted his time to writing. During the year of 1987, Coelho wrote "The Alchemist" over a span of two weeks. At first, it was slightly popular, and then became wildly popular when it was translated into French. From then, the novel racked up about 35 million copies in 80 languages and is one of the most translated novel of a living author in the world. Since the publication of "The Alchemist," Coelho writes one book at a rate of about two years. His twenty-six books have sold over 65 million copies, and have become an inspiration to many (“Paulo Coelho Biography”