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WHEN I FIRST READ about Paulo Coelho's confirmation as the newest member of the prestigious Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL), I immediately contacted him, first to congratulate him for the outstanding achievement, and then to extend an invitation to do a short interview for WLT, which he graciously accepted. For me in particular, it was a great pleasure to hear about his confirmation, mainly because I had received some severe criticism from more conservative critics for including his work The Alchemist in a recent top-ten list of Brazilian novels for the past twenty years (see WLT 75:3-4, pp. 89-91). Some of his answers-transcribed in the interview below, which I have translated-will address this issue of prejudice with his own personal insight.
PAULO COELHO (b. 1947, Rio de Janeiro) is not only one of the most widely read but also most influential writers in the world today, not only in my opinion but also in the opinion of numerous prize juries-in Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, and Yugoslavia-that have honored Coelho with over a dozen international awards over the past several years. Why is it then that some critics opposed his election to the Academy or the selection of his works as some of the best examples of contemporary Brazilian literature? I suspect that some of these critics simply disparage Coelho's narrative simplicity-a very powerful technique that he has continually mastered over the years. The Alchemist, for example, employs a tablelike language that has won the author recognition around the globe. He seldom uses complex allegories, metaphors, or idioms. All his work is simple, and, as I wrote in my previous essay, his style captures not only the imagination but also the hearts of his readers. His message is also very simple and millennial: happiness lies in finding ourselves. Simply put, Paulo Coelho is an author in search of himself, a trait that epitomizes his literary truth.
This Brazilian phenomenon, as he has come to be known, has been very consistent not only in his personal quest but also in becoming one of the most important writers of our time-perhaps to his own mother's amazement, since she always discouraged him from taking up a profession that often offers very meager financial remuneration in countries...