Could you tell me a little bit about your latest novel The Witch of Portobello?
In my latest book, The Witch of Portobello I wanted to explore the prejudices that we have when we go for a spiritual quest.
I was reading Karen Armstrong’s book on the Prophet ( Muhammad, Harper Collins), and there is a part that she mentions: ” each recitation began with the invocation: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate (Al-Rahman), and the Merciful (Al-Rahim)…the divine names Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim are not only grammatically feminine, but related etymologically to the word for womb.”
I am not an expert in Arabic etimology, but I believe that Mrs. Armstrong is. My new book explores this Compassion and this Mercy, as I see from my perspective. I felt the need to question why society had tried to lock away the feminine side. The character of Athena, with her freedom and courage, was my way to tackle this subject and to unveil the shackles of dogma.
Today’s Question by Aart Hilal
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I haven't read 'The Witch of Portobello' yet..Loved reading 'Alchemist'…A wonderful story..
Wish you a Happy New Year:-)
Lionel, what do you mean when you say Paulo lived an “open” life in the past? His drug usage? his torture experiences? Is that “real” living? What about his charitable goals and achievements, his love for his wife and for people in general. Good experiences in life are still “real”. Surely you can be creative whlst happy and balanced. I’m sure there are plenty of times when Paulo revisits in his heart and mind his experiences of the past but I don’t believe he lives in the past. He is forever contemplating the now and the tomorrow with a never-ending list of questions.
Every author is not going to be able to constantly write that novel that moves the masses but each book has something to say and I personally enjoy them.
Kathleen xx
I hate to pin things on gender but when you think about the ills of the world i.e. war, sexual assault, paedophilia, domestic violence. Most of these things are perpetrated by men. Why?
Kathleen xx
one of the reason perhaps why society has tried to block away the feminine side is because like that they can control us more.
All of our teaching is done with the left side of the brain therefore most of us are out of whack.
Dear Paulo,
I love this book, as every book You wrote.
Thank you.
And I hope that this book won’t change some people’s minds about believing in God.
Unfortunately, the more people read or hear about different “images” of God the more mixed up they get,
sometimes.
For me the most important thing is -
– to believe –
and it doesn’t matter in “which” God you believe in or which church you attend to, or whether you agree with everything you hear there.
GOD IS ALWAYS THE SAME, THE ONE, THE ONLY!
THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY – GOD IS LOVE!
love
Agnieszka
This all is somewhere behind the present life… “Witch of Portobello” has the illusive features of the real situation. Something that goes by the “second stream”. There’s a lot of more frank things in this world. The Paulo Coelho’s creativity got stuck in his past and is alive only by his past… no more. Then he lived by open life, but now this life only touches than men who like him lives by the past. He doesn’t like to hear this… He consider himseld the wise man, but dosen’t see that his wisdom comes from the old times and he doesn’t see that the wisdom develops together with the life. All his adventures are in his memory and he’s ready to repeat it again and again, and you will sing the famous song about him. Just look at this attentively. Paulo, have you something to object to me?
I haven’t read ‘The Witch of Portobello’ yet..Loved reading ‘Alchemist’…A wonderful story..
Wish you a Happy New Year:-)
Have you got any reactions from the catholic church and which have they been?