/View.info/ I experienced many hardships, but I followed my dream to the end
Paulo Coelho’s new book “Infidelity” (“Obsidian”) is already on the Bulgarian market. The most read writer in the world gave a curious interview to the German magazine “Focus”, in which he talks about the most difficult moments of his biography. The author of “The Alchemist” experienced a serious confrontation with his parents when he announced his desire to study literature. His aggressive political texts brought him serious problems with the authorities, which is why his wife left him. Coelho received spiritual enlightenment after a meeting with the leader of a Catholic order, and it was from then on that he was moved. This is what the world-loved master of the word also claims.
– Probably even as a young man you have built a clear plan on how to become the most important author in the world. With 170 million books sold, you are at least among the most successful. Is this what you dreamed of?
– That’s right, I always wanted to be a writer. But not for money and fame, but to share with as many people as possible the ideas that I consider significant. This facilitated my success. Books are one way to share ideas. I also invest a lot of time on social media and blogging to have direct contact with my readers. My dream in life is not some state, but a long journey.
– Has the digital revolution changed the way you tell stories?
– Absolutely. Due to the competition of many different media, the attention of the audience can be captured in a short time. Every author must come to terms with this and concentrate on the essentials, communicate very directly without being superficial.
– You release your texts in digital format for free. Why are you giving away your work?
– That way it can reach more people. If my goal was to make money, I would have become an engineer like my father. I also notice that the more e-books I sell, the more the interest in printed books grows. You have to trust your work – when it’s good, people will be willing to pay for it.
– Because you mentioned your father – he was strongly against you becoming a writer.
– He was furious. My parents even sent me to a mental institution where they gave me electric shocks to make me come to my senses.
– Nevertheless, you stuck to your plan?
– Yes, this conflict was terrible. My parents were afraid for my future, but I didn’t want to give up on my dream. I didn’t want to deal with something that meant nothing to me. I would become the living dead. I took the risk to follow my heart and it was a test that made me strong.
– Those were your wild years?
– Yes, I was a hippie and tried a lot of things – drugs, girls.
– Then you wrote lyrics for political songs. What do you think of today’s anti-capitalist protest movement in Brazil, which has come out against the soccer World Cup, for example?
– I support him without limit. Brazil experienced an economic miracle, but few benefited from it.
– In the 1970s, during the military dictatorship, you were arrested by the secret police.
– It was a very traumatic experience. You lose control over yourself, you feel completely powerless. But time is the best healer, it heals this kind of wounds too.
– What did they do to you then?
– They imprisoned me and tortured me. At one point I was released without any explanation.
– Were you physically tortured?
– Physically and mentally. They put me naked in an icy cold room with no light. I didn’t know if it was day or night. I lost track of time. They may have only kept me there for a week, but it felt like a year to me.
– How did you find the strength to work after that?
– I don’t know, my friends helped me, for which I am very grateful. Many turned away from me, they considered me dangerous because I was still under police surveillance. I was able to get my life back through work. One should never, never give up.
– Your then wife has also moved away from you.
– She was arrested along with me. And he was very scared, which I completely understand. When we were released, we only saw each other once. She asked for a divorce because of my fault. She was right, I was writing unacceptable texts then, not her.
– Did you feel guilty?
– For years.
– At the beginning of the 1980s, there was a turning point in your life again, in Germany.
– Yes, then I visited the Dachau concentration camp and suddenly had a vision. A man appeared to me and predicted that we would meet again. And so it happened: Three months later I met him in Amsterdam – the same man, only real. He started asking me questions.
– He was the leader of a Catholic order with whom you have been closely associated ever since.
– Yes, we are close, but not as teacher and student, but as friends. We share knowledge and views. This is very important to me both as a person of the spirit and as a writer.
(translation: Lira.bg)
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