Biography of Paulo Coelho - Essay Example

Biography of Paulo Coelho :The purpose of this report is to provide both an outline and a summary on the Paulo Coelho. Outline Major Points:Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian writer and lyricist. Combined he has sold over a hundred million books. Although his writings have been written in Portuguese his works have been translated into many languages. Early Life and upbringing: Born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. His father was an Engineer and his mother insisted that he have a strict Jesuit education.

He spent a brief amount of time studying law yet fell in with the 1960s counter cultural movement. Lyric- Prior to receiving recognition as a major author, Coelho received notoriety as a song writer. His first works were widely performed by Elis Regina but he received much of his artistic and commercial success on collaborations with Raul Seixas.Writings- Although Coelho had written many works in the 1970s his breakout work was The Pilgrimage in 1987. This autobiographical work outlined his spiritual journey wherein he walked the 500 mile Way of Saint James in Spain.

His follow up book, the Alchamist (released in 1987) helped cement him as one of the great writers of this generation.Philosophical and spiritual views: In an interview conducted on his own blog, he identifies that although he was once an atheist and a Buddhist he has since returned to Catholicism. He identifies that he has tried everything that there is and stated that all religions have the same objective. File Sharing- Coehlo is a big proponent for file sharing technology as a means of spreading his work.

He releases much of his personal work on his blog and had permitted personal translations of his works to be republished.Current life: He founded the Paulo Coelho Institute which provides financial assistance to needy people and has aided in a number of charitable causes. He lives in Rio de Janiero and occasionally in Europe. He is married to Christina Oiticica whi is a Brazilian Artist. Highlights: Major works of Paulo includeThe Pilgramage- Autobiographical story of his travels in SpainThe Alchamist- Follows the life of an Anfalusian boy who engages in his own spiritual journey aafter recurring dreams.

The Valkyries- Autobiographical tale which deals with the exorcism of personal demons.The Zahir- Also follows a pilgramage which was highlighted through the protagonists search for a missing wife.His upcoming book:The AlephSummary: Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian Lyracist and writer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, and he was given a traditional Jesuit education as a young man. Because of prolonged disagreements with his mother over his future career path he subsequently spent a portion of his youth in an insane asylum.

According to an interview that appeared on his blog (2007) he identified that he had been committed to an insane asylum three times for his non-conformist beliefs. Although he had a brief stint at law school he ultimately dropped out to work as a lyricist in which he received commercial and artistic notoriety working with artists such as Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. It is upon this foundation that Paulo set out on a spiritual awakening by trekking the 500 mile Way of St. James in Spain. His autobiographical account of this journey was the foundation for his first major literary work The Pilgrimage which was published in 1987.

Although he had attained a level of artistic success with his first work, it was not until the publication of The Alchemist in 1988 that he received any international notoriety for his writings. Although his writing is conducted in Protugese his works have been translated into many languages. The themes of Coehlos writings are timeless. They often focus on people going on personal journeys to discover more about themselves. Many protagonists receive a personal spiritual awakening through which closely resemble the awakening of the author.

His writing style could typically be characterized as being simple which one could argue makes his writings both profound yet accessible for most readers. He is an active writer, with many works lined up for the future. Currently Paulo Coelho is married to Christina Oiticica who is a Brazilian Artist and he splits his time between Europe and his hometown. He was born into Catholicism, yet spent much of his life as a Buddhist, an atheist and ultimately returned to Catholicism (Yet he frequently disagrees with many practices of the Catholic Church).

He donates much of his time to charitable causes. He founded the Paulo Coelho Institute which provides financial aide to needy people, he sits on the board for the Shimon Peres Centre for Peace, as well as contributing to various UN Initiatives for Peace. ReferencesPaulo Coelho Blog (2011) Paulo Coelho Interview by Marika Schaertl @ Focus Munich Dec, 17th 2007 [online] Available at http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2007/12/19/paulo-coelho-interview-by-marika-schaertl-focus-munich/ Accessed on August 8th 2011.