Paulo Coelho

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Today’s Question by the reader : Nathalia

Author: Paulo Coelho

I think in economic crisis the main problem of Igor, the main character of your new novel The Winner Stands Alone, will be to save his business but not love. What you think about this? And what you think about crisis?

Interesting that you mention the crisis because, in my eyes, this book talks exactly about the excesses that led to the current situation. The constant race for power, money, glamour, are the outward signs of a society that has made “consumption” the alpha and omega of human conduct. In this scenario, when a person is merely what he/she consumes, wears, and pretends – she gradually slips into this image, this collective illusion of perfection. But this collective “dream” reveals only that in order to exist you need to have – instead of simply being.

The crisis is bringing with its chaos, a sort of readjustment: people are realizing that there are other priorities and that they should focus on quality of life – rather than this frantic race for quantity.

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