Chris Knox

English 111

Professor Dollieslager

30 November 2016

Critical Thinking

Paulo Coelho was born in the city Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on august 24 1947. He was raised by his parents who were catholic and deeply religious. During his teenage years, Paulo was very rebellious which troubled is parents. Their attempt to quell his rebelliousness resulted in him being placed into mental asylums on three different occasions starting at the age of seventeen.  Following his eventual release from these institutions, he enrolled into law school. His schooling did not last though due to the temptations that drew in many of the youths of the 1970s “sex, drugs and rock n roll”. During these years he was arrested and imprisoned three times for his political activism. It was not unusual for political prisoners of this time to be tortured and beaten for their views.(Bio.com)

            Paulo now at age 36 and trying to find direction and meaning in his life, traveled to Spain. While in Spain, he embarked on a 500-mile long Catholic pilgrimage. During this pilgrimage, he claimed to have a spiritual awakening. From this experience, he wrote his first book entailing his trek appropriately named “The Pilgrimage”.  With the success of his first book, Paulo then took up writing full time and in 1987 published his second book, “The Alchemist”. After a slow start in sales, the book was translated into French which led it to the best sellers list in France. Following suit, the book has since been translated into many different languages and has even been named the most translated book by a living author. Because of this success, Paulo now writes a new book on average of every two years and living his childhood dream of being a writer. (Bio.com)

            Paulo Coelho has been quoted saying “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. What I believe this to mean is, that you must act to create change and not be idle.  You may have an opinion, but you should not expect change to come from it unless you act. This quote was reflected in the writer’s life during his time as a songwriter for activist musicians. He joined them in protesting the military rule and as a result he was placed in jail and tortured on multiple occasions. Coelho new that if he wanted to change this oppressive government, he would have to act, even if it leads to his own suffering. (Bio.com)

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

 Biography.com Editors. “Paulo Coelho Biography.” Bio.com, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

<http://www.biography.com/people/paulo-coelho-5524#synopsis/>.