Top 13 Best Paulo Coelho Books Updated 04 /2024

He may have lived a life that could be turned into a homely book. During his adolescence, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital by his own parents, who thought that his rebellious behavior was a sign of madness. Electroshock therapy was done to him under the guidance of his parents. If you're in your twenties, Coelho dropped out of law school to go on trips around South America. He then became a journalist. After a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela that changed his life, he decided to follow his dream of becoming a writer. Here are of his best books.

The Alchemist (1988)

People think The Alchemist is a book about how people think. Paulo Coelho tells the story of a Spanish shepherd who makes his own legend by traveling to Egypt with his family from Spain. When people learn how to listen, they start to find out who they are. This is the "philosophy" that the story is about. Besides, don't pay attention to us. Listen to alchemist: "Alchemy is the materialization of all spiritual concepts." Not only the work in a lab, but also the inner, personal chemistry that makes up our lives. I call this a "Personal Legend." If we follow it, the world will change. Everything that comes into contact with us will also turn into philosophical gold.

The Winner Stands Alone (2008)

Is it worth it to be a good person? Coelho gives us a mirror of our own society, where we don't pay attention to the truths that our hearts whisper. In Cannes, we meet people who have made it in the worlds of high fashion and movies, like a Russian millionaire, a well-known stylist from the Middle East, a starlet, a detective, and a model. People who want money, power, and fame are willing to do anything to get them.

The Devil and Miss Prym (2009)

In The Devil and Miss Prym, the eternal battle between good and evil is brought back to life. To tell this story, Coelho has changed the Garden of Eden into a small village in the mountains, and the fruit of knowledge into gold. Chantal Prym, a beautiful young barmaid, is the serpent's mediator. He is an elegant traveler and talks a lot. This is a world of shadows where Coelho cuts up and manipulates his characters like puppets. In this world, death isn't limited to cemeteries but is still very much a part of life. So, does man do good or bad things? Are they even important to God? The answer can be found in about 200 pages.

Eleven Minutes (2003)

When Maria is young, she works as a sales clerk in a fabric store. She takes a week off to go on vacation in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On Copacabana beach, a Swiss man wants to hire her as a cabaret dancer. When she thinks about this, she thinks it's the start of a fairy tale. The truth is very different. However, it is important to note that Maria does this without shame. After having a lot of adventures, sex and love remain mysteries to her. Finally, she meets a young painter who is also lost like her. In order for Maria to find out about the sacredness of sexuality, she first needs to find a way to get along with herself.

 

Brida (1990)

This is how it works: Brida is a young Irish woman who wants to learn more about magic. She has always been interested in it, but she wants more. Her search leads her to meet people who have a lot of knowledge, and they help her find out about the spiritual world, too. There is a magick person that lives in the forest. She is taught by a magick person how to dance to the world's rhythm and call on a moon, as well as how to overcome her fears. Brida then goes to meet her fate. Is she able to leave everything behind and become a witch? As the storyteller weaves a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality, it brings back old themes that are important to fans of Paulo Coelho.

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (1994)

After meeting each other for the first time as children, Pilar and her friend are only acquaintances for 11 years. When they run into each other again, they become friends again. She is a woman who has learned how to be strong and not get overwhelmed by her feelings, so she doesn't get stressed out. In his own mind, he has a lot of problems, and he wants to find a way to solve them through religion. Both want to change and follow their dreams. In order to do this, they will have to deal with the same things that people who are lost deal with: fear of failure, and prejudice. This is when Pilar and her friend decide that they will go to a small village in the Pyrenies to find out what their own "personal truth" is. With poetic and modern language, Paulo Coelho tells this story. At the same time, he takes us on a journey into the mysteries of the divine. It's because "the spiritual experience is above all a real-life experience of love."

Manuscript Found in Accra (2012)

It's July 14, 1099. With crusaders at the gates of their city, the people of Jerusalem crowd around a mysterious man who goes by the name of the Copt. They want to hear his last words. The crowd, which includes Christians, Jews, and Muslims, is getting ready for battle, defeat, and slaughter. They used to live together peacefully. People don't have to think about how to win a fight to learn about life. Manuscript is an invitation to think about our humanity in a new way, and it asks a big question: what values will stay when everything else is gone?

Maktub (1994)

Maktub is a collection of stories and parables that show off a lot of different kinds of wisdom. These short stories came from Paulo Coelho's work for the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. They were based on a wide range of sources and folklore. This is because his column has been very popular. The author decided to pick some of his favorite texts to post for his global audience.

The Zahir (2005)

When his wife goes away without a trace, a famous writer gives up all of the rules that guide his life. It will take him from Paris to Central Asia on a long trip. He crosses the steppe and desert to find something that makes his life better. Paulo Coelho revisits myths and traditions from long ago to show how love, the pilgrimage of self-knowledge, and the beginnings of faith are all important parts of life. He talks about freedom and solitude, wonders about the future of man, and looks for stability, love, and spirituality in his search for these things in the world around him.

The Witch of Portobello (2006)

Athena was the adopted daughter of a wealthy Lebanese family. When war broke out in her country, she moved to London, where she had been living. At college, she falls in love with a man who gets her pregnant. This is how it works: Their marriage doesn't last. The young couple fights against their families' wishes and gets married, but it doesn't last. Athena, who is now a mother, can't help but think about the woman who brought her into the world. She sets out to find her, and wants to know how she could have left her child. She will learn a lot about herself and her family during the trip.

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