Author

Books by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. He worked as a lyricist, theater director, and journalist before undergoing a spiritual awakening on the road to Santiago de Compostela in 1986, which led to The Pilgrimage (1987) and The Alchemist (1988). The Alchemist was initially a commercial disappointment in Brazil but became a phenomenon after his publisher dropped it and Coelho found a new one. It went on to sell over 100 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books in history. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.