hello everyone,i really came to know the meaning of unconditional love when i read the zahir…im lucky to have my zahir by my side…i know it exists bcoz i felt it at a very early stage…
regarding the fact that in the book the author sleeps with many ladies inspite his true love for his wife,i will ask the question- even u have true love with u ,dont u feel sexually excited when watching sumthing erotic…so is the case with the human nature…its a need which has to be fed.but this doesnt permit it to roam freely in the society.practically, to subdue any such urge one can take strength from their loved one.this is required to sustain the relation..
but overall a nice book…
i found myself indulged reading The Zahir.. it hurts me deeply, though. How i wish freedom can be realized like that, like how the society can make us focus on such idea that we are free.
what i really admire about the book is its informative style, there is wonder how a person so expressive, and yet full of knowledge or wisdom, be who he is. no, i mean maybe it’s just that i am being so amazed by a power as such.
You have to be committed to someone you really love and so i dont think that he actually loved esther as even after marrying her.,,, he sleeps with her friend and a singer and an actress and the list goooeeesss oooonnnn …….
Love and lust are 2 completely different things. It is easily possible to love someone with your pure soul and still show lust for others and not love them. The weakness of lust for others is always defeated by the love of a person – God loves us all and will give his strength to the weak in order to spread love throughout the world.
x
I agree with Marie. At best he he loved the idea of himself loving Esther. It’s not lust vs. love, that is a red herring. It selfish vs. selfless. His love was ultimately inward and egotistical.
The reason I say this is I have been this way, sorry to say.
That is why the metaphor of the soldier who sees every one else’s face as dirty thus assuming his own is also blemished is so powerful in the relationship in this book.
After i had read the Zahir i then went back and read some parts again to grasp a deeper understanding. There is nothing wrong in searching for yourself and a meaning to your life, and the writer searching for his demonstrates that everything in fact does happen for a reason.
Every encounter serves as part of the ‘bigger picture’ for those who are true to themselves and there soul and no matter how much pain or sadness you may come across you must focus on moving in the right direction. What is at the end of your path you may not know, but ironically, when you get there it always fits into place – every meeting, every detail, every minute/hour/day.
Only with love in the soul can you find this, i try every day to be the best person i can, sometimes various obstacles appear (especially at work) and you feel like you are being dragged down no matter how well you are doing. However, i keep on trying my best and try to help my fellow colleagues.
I still wonder though, what is my destiny – i know it is to do with helping others for that gives me the greatest joy and makes my spirit smile – but what this will come in the form of i just can’t see!!
we love others because we want others love us .but when we really get others’ we began to lose it because we feel we ‘re not worth it in our deeply heart .we are going and going and going try to find the true love ,at last we find or I find that’s only me myself who lose the capable of love .
Quite literally one year ago I was told to read this book. I promptly purchased it at the local book store, opened it, read about 10 pages and put it down. Didn’t open it again until one month ago. Many of us know that sometimes we are not “ready” to read something. Maybe because we won’t really be able to appreciate it or maybe because we are not ready to understand it’s teachings.
Right now in my life, I feel despair. I am filled with worry for things such as how I am going to pay rent, pay my bills, feed my child. I woke this morning with only one thought. I want to finish The Zahir. So, I did. And the time was right.
Thank you.
Again.
All my life I’ve tried to convince myself of the best way of understanding one’s life. It wasn’t easy to admit that actually I trapped myself in time no longer able to take a step forward. After reading Zahir I realized that once you set your wishes and your dreams you have to fulfill them and never let your story unfinished.
Zahir, not only does teaches us what love is all about, but also reminds us that when we were born in this world we had to accept a prefabricated world. Therefore we go on with our lives wondering constantly about what the others think, planning it accordingly to the so called “models” of the society.
Where do we learn what love is? If we do not experience it, we will never be able to fully understand it. Love is the most beautiful thing in life, is the key to all the mysteries and wonders of the world. I also have my Zahir, we all do, but what matters is to never learn to let it go and let them know how much we love them, because it is not enough to just say it , you got to mean it.
I am gratefully to you,Paulo Coelho, for writing your books, I know that they have changed me, taught me to live in present and at my fullest.
Yes, he does exist. With reading the first page in the book I realised that I had been in love. I had hidden it from myself. Untill then I didn’t know what love is, everyone can tell you what it is and how it’s like but you won’t understand untill you loved. I did not even questioned why I cried and why I felt pain or why I couldn’t breath when I smelled her perfume. I always wanted to tell myself, no you don’t love her, you don’t even like her but then I thought about the quote what describes a Zahir. It is true, you try to give your best and this person changes your life. But I made my brain rule my heart and said “You don’t”. First I thought I would get over it but it took way longer. It brought out and the only consequence was to tell her otherwised it would have eaten me from the inside. I did, but I still think she didn’t believe me.
PS: Thank you Zeynep, you made complicated into understanding
A traves de EL ZAHIR pude conocer un poco mas a mi gran escritor y motivador que es usted sr.Paulo Coelho.
Ademas el escenario que utilizo para escribir EL ZAHIR es uno de mis favoritos Paris…es el lugar de mis suenos espero poderlo visitar,
y como siempre busca un lugar exotico para hacer su narrativa como EL ASIA CENTRAL donde puedo imaginar hasta la brisa suave que sopla en su rostro en busca de su ZAHIR…
Esas Pinceladas y Matices de lugares recondidos de la tierra es lo que lo hace unico en su genero y es lo que realmente me encanta.
CON AMOR……MARIE DESDE NYC.
As many, I enjoy your books and have read quite a few. I just finished The Zahir and have one point that is not reconciled. How can the main character be so desperately in love with his wife and share the bed of another? How can his soul cry out for Esther while his loins and his mind are allowed the preoccupation with Marie?
This book is altogether to similar to my current situation – I being, Esther – and I know that my beloved is looking for reunion, but how can that be reconciled with so much betrayal in between (from the likes of Maries, if you will) Is that unconditional love or dependence?
You must understand that life is more complex then just believing in love, the feeling he felt for his wife could possibly be love but I doubt it. He’s a human and humans always want what they can’t have so as soon as his wife was out of reach for him he became obsessed.
I hope Sir you are in good health…………
just wanted to say that I would feel very unlucky to go from this earth and not meet you….i really want to have a glimpse in realty of the people who inspire me………and of course, you are one of them………..
I sincerely hope and earnestly pray to my Allah to give me at least one chance in life to meet and talk to you!
Maestro, es un placer leer sus pensamientos y creaciones…
admiro vuestra generosidad de publicar sus obras en internet para q muchos o todos podamos disfrutarlas.
un abrazo desde Mvd-Uruguay
hello everyone! I’ve read this book at the closing of this summer, just in time… just when in my mind and my soul was only one person… i was obssesed with him… my hole mind, all my thoughts and actions was about him and make circles around him… he was my Zahir…
it is an amazing fact that many of your books mr. coelho came across in my life at the exact moment when i need them… in the same way Zahir made me realize this fact.. the fact that i was obssesed with one person.. and in that way help me change my way to be in love with him… he is still in my soul, although his is not longer in my life… but i try to change things and make my Zahir “complete”..so i could move on with a clear heart ready to accept another love!
beside that fact… Zahir give us a wonderful oportunity to see how reality is in a way foregone and it depends in wich society and time period we are born… if we realize that and understand that, we can change the way we see the world around us and the way of how we decide what is correct and what is incorrect! we are able to choose how we want create our own reality and our own way to live and make our walk in life!
thank you mr. coelho, i will thank you every time i have this oportunity! :)
p.s. i hope my english is quite enough to understand what i want to say :) :)
samantha, i was about to say the same thing too –
i share my love for paulo’s books with a very close friend and we have experienced exactly the same thing – we’ve read the books just as we need them, and in many grand ways, it multiplies the significance and effect of each book in our lives. many thanks to you paulo!
Sr. Paulo soy una fans de sus libros..el Zahir me marco en primer lugar porque hay que reconocer que nunca valoramos lo que tenemos cerca solo hasta que lo perdemos, esa es ley. Y en segundo lugar porque siempre reconoci que el amor se manifiesta de muchas formas y a muchas personas, pero sinceramente me desconcerto la forma en que todas las personas se expresan de haber encontrado su zahir…sabe hasta senti envida de su libro por que yo te juro que nunca en mi vida e tenido un sentimiento tan profundo por alguien, y mi duda esta en saber si habemos personas que nuca encontraremos nuestro ZAhir, sera que no estamos destinados a eso????
Pero de todas maneras es un libro maravilloso, y su alma es maravillosa al permitirle compartir sus pensamientos…
It was my first book from you, I got it as a gift for Christmas from my daughter but did not read it at the time.. then my loved gave me the same book six month later.
She is a big fan of your writing. I read it, could not stop reading it gave me something in every page, it was beautiful. Thank you very much for it, I can say it changed my life.
El Zahir es mi libro preferido, es un libro que me hizo llorar, pensar, imaginarme cada situacion como si me estaria pasando a mi.
Terminaba de leer dicho libro, y despues me quedaba pensando en que podria pasar, y eso hacia que quisiera estar toda el dia leyendolo.
Con mis quince años, paulo coelho se convirtio en mi escritor favorito
The first time I read the book I didn’t quite appreciate it because the timing wasn’t right.
I was kind of a happy town without a really interesting story to tell.
But there were other experiences to come for me, new beginnings to undergo and it is now that I truly understand the profoundness of this metaphor.
Thank you very much.
este foi o seu primeiro livro que li, depois dai nunca mais parei. eu adoro esse livro,eh uma das estorias de amor mais lindas que ja li, simplesmnte por ser tao verdadeira,cheia de fraquezas e verdades,sei la,acho que me identifiquei, e me encantei com o livro.
Good day Sir Paulo I wish you find could a time to visit Philippines sometime. It’ll be a great honor for us to hear you speak or maybe make you sign your books that we collects.. Thanks and see you in prayers!
-yna legaspi
This book was given to me by the love of my life. I adored it nearly as much as I did my man. I read and re-read the book over and over….I loved the way it challenged my thinking on love and how not to capture love and keep it prisoner but to cherish it and set it free.
I did find that after reading it I felt more selfish about me, my ideas, my needs, my wants and this lead to a lot of conflict with my love. We did not have the same ideas (who does?).
My man and I went separate ways while traveling in South America and I left that book in a hostel in Rio. I could not read it anymore…it hurt too much to think about what I had lost especially because I was convinced that it was irretrievable.
After some weeks, nursing my wounds in SA and feeling very sorry for myself I left for New Zealand. I spent a few weeks in a hostel while I looked for work. Work was hard to come by so I took a job in the hostel making beds for free accommodation. I moved into a tiny room sharing with three other workers that smelled like feet and was due to start work the next morning.
I went out for dinner with a Brazilian man who was very enamored of me although his affections were unrequited as my heart was still broken! We went back to his hostel room which had been mine also until I moved that morning. I lay down on my old bed and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, I climbed into the bunk beside my Brazilian friend as he had asked me to wake him. As I lay beside him (all very platonic…on my side anyway) I heard someone in the room ask for the time, I raised my head off the pillow and told him the time. He repeated the question. When he spoke for the second time I realised I recognised the voice. I raised my head once more and looked at the man who had asked the question.
It was him.
Out of all the hostels in Auckland city in New Zealand and out of the 600 beds and hundreds of rooms that busy hostel had, my man somehow ended up sleeping in the same room, him on the top bed of my bunk!
We are still together today, although we have gone through some very tough situations….sometimes leaving each other for times. Every time feels like the last, every time it feels like the worst pain in the world, every time we say never again…but somehow each time we find each other just a little bit later.
I have lost and then found my Zahir many times over, I never believe in coincidences and I know what I take for granted I will surely lose. I believe in miracles.
Thank you Paulo for The Zahir and your many other wonderful books that seem to put the miracles of every day into words.
hi Karen!
wow… what a story… Zahir brought sth similar into my life…
My bf (and probably love,for the rest of my life) and I were reading it around the same time… I was so amazed by this book, made me cry everytime I opened it up.
…Well things changed since then, but I wish a mircle like that could happen to me like it happened to you.
I’d love to hear more about your life anyway:)
good luck,karen ,never lose your heart no matter how hard it is .the Zahir is telling us:adhere to your dream till the dream is over.at least you won’t feel regret in your live about this Zahir.
I read ‘The Zahir’ this Spring and adored reading it. I related to Esther pursuing her destiny and discovering what she wanted and why- its good to do what she did. We all need breathing space and time to re-evaluate everything with simplicity. I also related to Marie and her pursuit and eventually letting go of him because it was the only thing left to do. It’s a case of you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone and unfortunately that’s human nature. If you let someone you love go and it comes back then you know it really loves you. It was a happy ending and I love happy endings- I am sentimental and old fashioned that way!
I am reading The Zahir currently and I think I am at the stage when I too am obsessed with the thought of my Zahir. I can see myself in the book; lost, wondering, searching…
I have a dialogue to exchange. I am following you on twitter and there are a few tweets mentioning you there. My twitter name is’ OnlyAGlimpse ” . It would be kind of you if you can follow my account on twitter so that I can freely exchange dialogue with you.
hello sir paulo iam ayesha i have just started reading ur book brida i found it very inspirational i just got it from a bookfair at my college the thing i want to appreciate about this book is that it have been written insuch a way that it compresses the love sprituality and mystery keep ur brilliant work up!!!!!
first i would like to let u know how much i love your books.. and honestly i can relate to almost all the novels i read. anyway i am now reading zahir.. i havent finish the book yet however whenever i read the book i find my self crying.. i myself left the person I love so much.. with out explaination.. with saying sorry..and i just found out that she is w/ another woman. our relationship is different to other relationship. I know its not right to love someone w/ the same sexuality but what if my zahir is a female? i dunno.. really.. im confused.. and honestly when im reading the novel.. every single word touches my heart. right now im in the stage of depression and im hoping.. really hoping someone could ease this pain.. some could help me find the right path.. sometimes im losing hope.. and sometimes i feel like im lost.. anyway i hope u can read my letter.. i really have many things to share.. God bless u and more power..
Hi Stacey,
I have read your post and feel really sad after reading that. I also love Paulo Coelho books and with every book I feel that I understand the world and my position in it better. With every book I become better person even though I sometimes fight it. Please get more positive maybe your sadness is influencing other people, you don’t even know about. I can understand how difficult it is but you have to think that things happen for reasons. Time will heal everything. I am sure there are other people who love you very much and you focus your energy on them instead of beating yourself. I have been going through difficulty in my life and I am not perfect person but I try to be better. I move on. I have to be because life is beautiful. I wish you all the strength and happiness. Please focus on yourself and other positives you can leave on this Earth.A.
I love ur work and I have read most of your books. Your books keep me at constant introspection and keeps me thinking always.
But I somehow unable to agree with ur view point of loving many. May be bcoz i have been brought up in an environment where loving many at a time is considered unorthodox.
What i believe is I can love somebody as my friend or i can feel sisterly or motherly but when i love somebody as my life partner I cannot love somebody else with the same feelings. But as you have mentioned in many of your books that we can have many soul mates and love many as our life partners. I somehow become very confused.
The most funniest part is my husband who had never read any of your books have/had same thinking as yours. Sometimes when I read ur books, i feel as if i am talking to my husband :)
Your books are very inspirational but as I mentioned earlier I get confused with the word and meaning of love :)
And most of the times I wonder can you find yourself in the writer you have written about in Zahir ???
All these years I have been reading your books and all of them have been a deep inspiration for me and for all my family.
Now is a challenging time for everybody on this planet.
I am very proud to see that you are given your light with your position of accepting that you are important.
And the multinational are not going to sell us.
You are in your power and you deserve to be in your power.
They can not move us.
We are a lot and now is the Aquarium time. It is the time of Knowlege and we are working in groups for the new time of love.
All the structures of the society are changing. Thank you for your work and for your blissfull view to our planet.
Incredible! Paul is a great writer– Life, love is the most unexpected but it s worth to live- Ups, downs sometimes painful–Yes ,Paul knows descriving painful moments and the endless battle for hope–
Paulo Coelho _ Thank you for making your point at letting us know, or having us notice, through O ZAHIR, that life always takes its own ways and not ours.
the zahir was really an inspiring book and it has really changed everything i always thought. i believe that now im going to find happiness in my life too someway. to dare to do things, to love, and to find myself and who i really want to be! i don’t know how and all but it really is an inspiring book, thanks a lot for writing it!
Hello, just to add to your comment. As i am writing this i am almost finishing the book Zahir. So far i have been shocked at the approach the writer has taken with this book. The first book i read of Paulo is Brida. Brida and Zahir are written differently, still there is a similar message i am getting. That of searching for higher truths in our every day to day lives.
I learned an imporntant thing in Zahir, basicaly reflection. That we are a reflection of the people we love…I hope you continue to write Paulo and whenever you want to visit East Africa specifically Tanzania welcome…thanx
I completed reading The Zaher, in addition to the romantic story and the useful morals, the story is rich in interesting general geografical and historical knowledge. in addition I like the way the writter was thinking and approching other charactors to reach his wife. the charictor I admir most in the story was Maria becuase I felt that she loves him more that Esther did (at least in the story), and she deserve better end, but this is the trought about life happeness for somebody could be sadness for others.
One more thing If the writter did not get Esther in the end of the story his Zaher will become Maria.
The world as we know it is a product of our imegination. What we call love is usually better to call by it’s correct term, which is addiction. Love as it is cannot be large or small. It can either be complete or it does not exit. Most of us ( and notice I do not say “all of us”, because first of all how would I know such facts, and second if there is a manmade theory about something, then it’s possible that somebody experienced it in practice)…as I was saying, most of us will never know love, because we are addicted to emotions and feelings which are caused by our relationships with objects and people of which our “world” is composed. Love is acceptance of everything and everyone as they are, without prejudice or any emotions caused by our predispositions. There is a saying, that if you don’t love somebody, then you don’t love anybody. As egocentric as the nature has created us, it is nearly impossible for us to love, because we only “love” what we think gives us gratification, or makes us “happy”. Our brain is one sofisticated producer of chemicals which move the world.
And before I get bored of saying what I am sure most of us already know, I will answer the question about the emotional wounds. There are no wounds unless we take things personally,that is to say assume importance….and create a reality which is a mere delusion.
Have you ever observed a wild horse living its life in freedome? Have you ever observed un “unhappy” wild horse living its life in freedome? I hope you’re smiling now. :)
I can´t express in my soul the gratitude I feel towards you, this book awakened something in me some years ago and since then it has taken me through an unexpected path which makes me feel more alive than ever. You are a blessing which touches everyone who comes in contact with anything related to you. I have only one favor to ask,never stop fulfilling your dharma.
I couldn’t help but identify the protaginst with you personally. I started imagining someone else (who is physically not like you) but by the time I reached the conlusion it was you -in my mind – who was in front of the door with his face “caked with sand” :)
Hello Sir. Paulo,
It’s been approximately an hour since I finished your Zahir.
First off all, thank you for everything you’ve added for my knowldege and growth packs.
I believe that the time I started reading the part about the “acomodador” in the book was perfectly chosen for me by Allah, because I had planned to read that pages earlier but didn’t. Then, when I sat down and started reading, I realized that what I was doing right then in my personal life is to get rid of my acomodadors, only not knowing that this concept had a name- which your book has told me :)
Another thing is that I personally have a Zahir and while revieving your books trying to choose one of them decided that the Zahir is “the one” I should read. I love to read the thing that suits my recent state, the kind of knowledge earning which Islam calls: Ilm-ul hal (the knowlege one needs to cope with his recent state).
Hmmm what else what elseee… Oh yes
This is the third book of your books I read which made me realize that you are “non-realistic” (not “unrealistic” because it doesn’t give the meaning I am targeting to and contains a negative something). What made me conclude to this thought is that in your books, almost everyone -regardless of their, well… anything – is a philosopher! Everyone has clear ideas about complex conceptions. But you know what, this is your style and I like it :)
About the conlusion, I love your conlusions and what excited when I reached it thinking the best part is coming :) and just as I was preaparing myself to cry (yes I am the kind of audience who likes to be made cry ^_^) Esther said: “I’m pregnant” and I was all (hugh?!) and the tears ran away… I don’t know it wasn’t romantic frankly :) it distracted my concentration (on the tears hehe :D).
And a P. S. :)
Since the word “Islamism” is mentioned in this book, I would like to tell you as your reader that this word sounds and seems very irritating to me… my ears and eyes don’t like it… seeing ISLAM attached to an …ism. Well I’m not saying this because I have a particular thought or an issue about “isming” but it’s not the way we, Muslims, call it. The word “Islam” is simply enough to cover all the nouns that refer to any of those meanings (the name of the religion, the state of becoming a Muslim… ).
In the end, thank you for being around… You know… Readers always love to get in touch with the writers they like…
Today I finished reading Zahir and I’m crying from this feeling that I cannot describe. You brought me back to the steppes of Kazakhstan. The whole feeling of it is so real, so true! Your description was as though you took it from my own memory: I remember galloping on the horse across the endless steppe, wind in my hair, eternal blue sky, smell of wormwood, liberating feeling of being one with the horse, the sky, the steppe, the whole Universe! Freedom.
10 years ago I had to leave Kazakhstan, running away, trying to save my life. I’m living in Cyprus for many years now. I began a new life here. I’ve separated my memories from feelings, so I could only see pictures of the past but not feel a thing, because some feelings were extremely painful.
Cyprus became my second home. I love this place, I love the sea. I have a new and completely different life here. I thought I didn’t miss anything from my past life, I’ve travelled few times back to Kazkahstan, just to visit my relatives but only reading your book took me back to the place where I grew up, to the place I love, the place that is so much a part of me.
Thank you!
lolita….you know what….you are so right to say tht the book takes u back to the place u love………
some of us have a secret place in our world where we go in times of extreme sorrow or happiness……………..somehow we feel peace there….no matter how much the earthlings are hard on us …..we find solace there….in my village at Bara in Pakistan there is small river infront of my house…….at times in life i so long to get there…………when I am delighted or deeply hurt………….
when you referred to the place hwere you grew up , the place you love and which is so much a part of you………you created such a vivid image of my place!
Dear mr.paulo
i am a reader from indonesia.i’ve almost read all your book.but Zahir the first book that can me see my problem in another perspective.
i always think that i am a victim of love.it’s painful in 10 years of my marriage.now, i stop looking for love that i need. because love has it’s own life.like you said in Brida-love is liberty.love is freedom. now, i can let my zahir go to find the mission of his life.
Let me see .When i first read this book I was suffering..
This book made me discover the patterns in my behaviour and how i developed a Zahir..
I had problems in my family and love life gave me conselation .So when i had a relationship problem it was like all hell breaking loose..
All my insecurities and mis trust emerged..All my vulnerbaility surfaced.
Funny that the period i suffered the most I understoord me the most.
This book helped me to search for me.
I can’t claim to have stopped obsession but surely I will know how to deal with it -with acceptance and compasasion not supression- when i face it again.
The Zahir is a masterpiece reminding us the basic thing in life often neglected by many.
How come you can think so deep about life and love and other things?
I fully admire you. =)
a medida que iva leyendo este libro me iva sumergiendo en la historia tanto que me lo tome a manera personal, cuando llegue al final me pregunte porque regreso con ella si esta embarazada de otro hombre, dije que quizas nunca haria tal cosa, pero lo dije porque nunca habia conocido el amor como lo he conocido ahora, el amor te hace hacer cosas que nunca pensaste hacer, gracias paulo por regalarnos libros como este que nos cambian la vida y que nos enseñan que la vida no es como se dibuja en nuestra mente.
Zahir.A nice story about love, life, change, challenge…I think everybody has a Zahir but every individual has to decide alone and will decide alone if is sacrifying years from his/her only life…to get back the loved person or will give place in his/her heart for a new love, a love without conditions. Of course 100%love drives us, peoples in any direction it wants. being in love means loosing ground…the question is do we want to stay on the ground? many questions could be raised. However the story touch everybodies heart and mind, makes people to start thinking about the remaining time. In those times in which we are living, we need to be fed with this kind of books, we need to be shaked up and told that we are to fast,running in parallel and opposite direction with life and have no tangence with it. We need more breaks.
Thank you Paulo Coelho.
After I read this book i began to see love differently. Zahir is the real love that give us freedom, that gives us dreams. Love is the engine life. This book make me dream to that love which goes beyond time and space.
Hi Paulo, just to say thank you for the energy that you print in your work , we should understand each other, I´ve been in a relationship for 8 years, my Zahir is not the same that she was before , and so I am. After read the book I found myself in a meditation moment and I belived that every person in life has a chance to change or to find a new way to face this begining, our personal stories are specials and as you say we have to forget our past to reborn in present and live in happines,
I believe that when we look for love courageously, it reveals itself, and we attract even more love. If one person really wants us, everyone does. But if we’re alone, we become even more alone. Life is strange…
hello everyone,i really came to know the meaning of unconditional love when i read the zahir…im lucky to have my zahir by my side…i know it exists bcoz i felt it at a very early stage…
regarding the fact that in the book the author sleeps with many ladies inspite his true love for his wife,i will ask the question- even u have true love with u ,dont u feel sexually excited when watching sumthing erotic…so is the case with the human nature…its a need which has to be fed.but this doesnt permit it to roam freely in the society.practically, to subdue any such urge one can take strength from their loved one.this is required to sustain the relation..
but overall a nice book…
i found myself indulged reading The Zahir.. it hurts me deeply, though. How i wish freedom can be realized like that, like how the society can make us focus on such idea that we are free.
what i really admire about the book is its informative style, there is wonder how a person so expressive, and yet full of knowledge or wisdom, be who he is. no, i mean maybe it’s just that i am being so amazed by a power as such.
You have to be committed to someone you really love and so i dont think that he actually loved esther as even after marrying her.,,, he sleeps with her friend and a singer and an actress and the list goooeeesss oooonnnn …….
Love and lust are 2 completely different things. It is easily possible to love someone with your pure soul and still show lust for others and not love them. The weakness of lust for others is always defeated by the love of a person – God loves us all and will give his strength to the weak in order to spread love throughout the world.
x
I agree with Marie. At best he he loved the idea of himself loving Esther. It’s not lust vs. love, that is a red herring. It selfish vs. selfless. His love was ultimately inward and egotistical.
The reason I say this is I have been this way, sorry to say.
That is why the metaphor of the soldier who sees every one else’s face as dirty thus assuming his own is also blemished is so powerful in the relationship in this book.
After i had read the Zahir i then went back and read some parts again to grasp a deeper understanding. There is nothing wrong in searching for yourself and a meaning to your life, and the writer searching for his demonstrates that everything in fact does happen for a reason.
Every encounter serves as part of the ‘bigger picture’ for those who are true to themselves and there soul and no matter how much pain or sadness you may come across you must focus on moving in the right direction. What is at the end of your path you may not know, but ironically, when you get there it always fits into place – every meeting, every detail, every minute/hour/day.
Only with love in the soul can you find this, i try every day to be the best person i can, sometimes various obstacles appear (especially at work) and you feel like you are being dragged down no matter how well you are doing. However, i keep on trying my best and try to help my fellow colleagues.
I still wonder though, what is my destiny – i know it is to do with helping others for that gives me the greatest joy and makes my spirit smile – but what this will come in the form of i just can’t see!!
we love others because we want others love us .but when we really get others’ we began to lose it because we feel we ‘re not worth it in our deeply heart .we are going and going and going try to find the true love ,at last we find or I find that’s only me myself who lose the capable of love .
Quite literally one year ago I was told to read this book. I promptly purchased it at the local book store, opened it, read about 10 pages and put it down. Didn’t open it again until one month ago. Many of us know that sometimes we are not “ready” to read something. Maybe because we won’t really be able to appreciate it or maybe because we are not ready to understand it’s teachings.
Right now in my life, I feel despair. I am filled with worry for things such as how I am going to pay rent, pay my bills, feed my child. I woke this morning with only one thought. I want to finish The Zahir. So, I did. And the time was right.
Thank you.
Again.
All my life I’ve tried to convince myself of the best way of understanding one’s life. It wasn’t easy to admit that actually I trapped myself in time no longer able to take a step forward. After reading Zahir I realized that once you set your wishes and your dreams you have to fulfill them and never let your story unfinished.
Zahir, not only does teaches us what love is all about, but also reminds us that when we were born in this world we had to accept a prefabricated world. Therefore we go on with our lives wondering constantly about what the others think, planning it accordingly to the so called “models” of the society.
Where do we learn what love is? If we do not experience it, we will never be able to fully understand it. Love is the most beautiful thing in life, is the key to all the mysteries and wonders of the world. I also have my Zahir, we all do, but what matters is to never learn to let it go and let them know how much we love them, because it is not enough to just say it , you got to mean it.
I am gratefully to you,Paulo Coelho, for writing your books, I know that they have changed me, taught me to live in present and at my fullest.
Signor Coelho,
Do you think that a Zahir truly ezists in life?
Yes, he does exist. With reading the first page in the book I realised that I had been in love. I had hidden it from myself. Untill then I didn’t know what love is, everyone can tell you what it is and how it’s like but you won’t understand untill you loved. I did not even questioned why I cried and why I felt pain or why I couldn’t breath when I smelled her perfume. I always wanted to tell myself, no you don’t love her, you don’t even like her but then I thought about the quote what describes a Zahir. It is true, you try to give your best and this person changes your life. But I made my brain rule my heart and said “You don’t”. First I thought I would get over it but it took way longer. It brought out and the only consequence was to tell her otherwised it would have eaten me from the inside. I did, but I still think she didn’t believe me.
PS: Thank you Zeynep, you made complicated into understanding
Yes, I’ve seen the Zahir in life. Didn’t know its name though.
A traves de EL ZAHIR pude conocer un poco mas a mi gran escritor y motivador que es usted sr.Paulo Coelho.
Ademas el escenario que utilizo para escribir EL ZAHIR es uno de mis favoritos Paris…es el lugar de mis suenos espero poderlo visitar,
y como siempre busca un lugar exotico para hacer su narrativa como EL ASIA CENTRAL donde puedo imaginar hasta la brisa suave que sopla en su rostro en busca de su ZAHIR…
Esas Pinceladas y Matices de lugares recondidos de la tierra es lo que lo hace unico en su genero y es lo que realmente me encanta.
CON AMOR……MARIE DESDE NYC.
As many, I enjoy your books and have read quite a few. I just finished The Zahir and have one point that is not reconciled. How can the main character be so desperately in love with his wife and share the bed of another? How can his soul cry out for Esther while his loins and his mind are allowed the preoccupation with Marie?
This book is altogether to similar to my current situation – I being, Esther – and I know that my beloved is looking for reunion, but how can that be reconciled with so much betrayal in between (from the likes of Maries, if you will) Is that unconditional love or dependence?
Gracias for you time and for living your calling.
You must understand that life is more complex then just believing in love, the feeling he felt for his wife could possibly be love but I doubt it. He’s a human and humans always want what they can’t have so as soon as his wife was out of reach for him he became obsessed.
assalmu alaikum!
I hope Sir you are in good health…………
just wanted to say that I would feel very unlucky to go from this earth and not meet you….i really want to have a glimpse in realty of the people who inspire me………and of course, you are one of them………..
I sincerely hope and earnestly pray to my Allah to give me at least one chance in life to meet and talk to you!
Peace.
Maestro, es un placer leer sus pensamientos y creaciones…
admiro vuestra generosidad de publicar sus obras en internet para q muchos o todos podamos disfrutarlas.
un abrazo desde Mvd-Uruguay
ps: cuando viene a visitarnos al Sur, Uruguay ?
hello everyone! I’ve read this book at the closing of this summer, just in time… just when in my mind and my soul was only one person… i was obssesed with him… my hole mind, all my thoughts and actions was about him and make circles around him… he was my Zahir…
it is an amazing fact that many of your books mr. coelho came across in my life at the exact moment when i need them… in the same way Zahir made me realize this fact.. the fact that i was obssesed with one person.. and in that way help me change my way to be in love with him… he is still in my soul, although his is not longer in my life… but i try to change things and make my Zahir “complete”..so i could move on with a clear heart ready to accept another love!
beside that fact… Zahir give us a wonderful oportunity to see how reality is in a way foregone and it depends in wich society and time period we are born… if we realize that and understand that, we can change the way we see the world around us and the way of how we decide what is correct and what is incorrect! we are able to choose how we want create our own reality and our own way to live and make our walk in life!
thank you mr. coelho, i will thank you every time i have this oportunity! :)
p.s. i hope my english is quite enough to understand what i want to say :) :)
samantha, i was about to say the same thing too –
i share my love for paulo’s books with a very close friend and we have experienced exactly the same thing – we’ve read the books just as we need them, and in many grand ways, it multiplies the significance and effect of each book in our lives. many thanks to you paulo!
Sr. Paulo soy una fans de sus libros..el Zahir me marco en primer lugar porque hay que reconocer que nunca valoramos lo que tenemos cerca solo hasta que lo perdemos, esa es ley. Y en segundo lugar porque siempre reconoci que el amor se manifiesta de muchas formas y a muchas personas, pero sinceramente me desconcerto la forma en que todas las personas se expresan de haber encontrado su zahir…sabe hasta senti envida de su libro por que yo te juro que nunca en mi vida e tenido un sentimiento tan profundo por alguien, y mi duda esta en saber si habemos personas que nuca encontraremos nuestro ZAhir, sera que no estamos destinados a eso????
Pero de todas maneras es un libro maravilloso, y su alma es maravillosa al permitirle compartir sus pensamientos…
It was my first book from you, I got it as a gift for Christmas from my daughter but did not read it at the time.. then my loved gave me the same book six month later.
She is a big fan of your writing. I read it, could not stop reading it gave me something in every page, it was beautiful. Thank you very much for it, I can say it changed my life.
Thank you
El Zahir es mi libro preferido, es un libro que me hizo llorar, pensar, imaginarme cada situacion como si me estaria pasando a mi.
Terminaba de leer dicho libro, y despues me quedaba pensando en que podria pasar, y eso hacia que quisiera estar toda el dia leyendolo.
Con mis quince años, paulo coelho se convirtio en mi escritor favorito
The first time I read the book I didn’t quite appreciate it because the timing wasn’t right.
I was kind of a happy town without a really interesting story to tell.
But there were other experiences to come for me, new beginnings to undergo and it is now that I truly understand the profoundness of this metaphor.
Thank you very much.
i hve nothing to say….so good luck for the next novels sir…>”<
este foi o seu primeiro livro que li, depois dai nunca mais parei. eu adoro esse livro,eh uma das estorias de amor mais lindas que ja li, simplesmnte por ser tao verdadeira,cheia de fraquezas e verdades,sei la,acho que me identifiquei, e me encantei com o livro.
Good day Sir Paulo I wish you find could a time to visit Philippines sometime. It’ll be a great honor for us to hear you speak or maybe make you sign your books that we collects.. Thanks and see you in prayers!
-yna legaspi
hello paulo coelho, i am also your fan. more than that, i want to become a great writer like you. more power! keep on writing for humanity.
Читаю сейчас “Заира” не перестаю удивляться Вашей искренности и Вашему таланту.
Спасибо, Todo o melhor.
This book was given to me by the love of my life. I adored it nearly as much as I did my man. I read and re-read the book over and over….I loved the way it challenged my thinking on love and how not to capture love and keep it prisoner but to cherish it and set it free.
I did find that after reading it I felt more selfish about me, my ideas, my needs, my wants and this lead to a lot of conflict with my love. We did not have the same ideas (who does?).
My man and I went separate ways while traveling in South America and I left that book in a hostel in Rio. I could not read it anymore…it hurt too much to think about what I had lost especially because I was convinced that it was irretrievable.
After some weeks, nursing my wounds in SA and feeling very sorry for myself I left for New Zealand. I spent a few weeks in a hostel while I looked for work. Work was hard to come by so I took a job in the hostel making beds for free accommodation. I moved into a tiny room sharing with three other workers that smelled like feet and was due to start work the next morning.
I went out for dinner with a Brazilian man who was very enamored of me although his affections were unrequited as my heart was still broken! We went back to his hostel room which had been mine also until I moved that morning. I lay down on my old bed and promptly fell asleep.
The next morning, I climbed into the bunk beside my Brazilian friend as he had asked me to wake him. As I lay beside him (all very platonic…on my side anyway) I heard someone in the room ask for the time, I raised my head off the pillow and told him the time. He repeated the question. When he spoke for the second time I realised I recognised the voice. I raised my head once more and looked at the man who had asked the question.
It was him.
Out of all the hostels in Auckland city in New Zealand and out of the 600 beds and hundreds of rooms that busy hostel had, my man somehow ended up sleeping in the same room, him on the top bed of my bunk!
We are still together today, although we have gone through some very tough situations….sometimes leaving each other for times. Every time feels like the last, every time it feels like the worst pain in the world, every time we say never again…but somehow each time we find each other just a little bit later.
I have lost and then found my Zahir many times over, I never believe in coincidences and I know what I take for granted I will surely lose. I believe in miracles.
Thank you Paulo for The Zahir and your many other wonderful books that seem to put the miracles of every day into words.
hi Karen!
wow… what a story… Zahir brought sth similar into my life…
My bf (and probably love,for the rest of my life) and I were reading it around the same time… I was so amazed by this book, made me cry everytime I opened it up.
…Well things changed since then, but I wish a mircle like that could happen to me like it happened to you.
I’d love to hear more about your life anyway:)
good luck,karen ,never lose your heart no matter how hard it is .the Zahir is telling us:adhere to your dream till the dream is over.at least you won’t feel regret in your live about this Zahir.
I read ‘The Zahir’ this Spring and adored reading it. I related to Esther pursuing her destiny and discovering what she wanted and why- its good to do what she did. We all need breathing space and time to re-evaluate everything with simplicity. I also related to Marie and her pursuit and eventually letting go of him because it was the only thing left to do. It’s a case of you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone and unfortunately that’s human nature. If you let someone you love go and it comes back then you know it really loves you. It was a happy ending and I love happy endings- I am sentimental and old fashioned that way!
Great read. Thank you for writing it Paulo.
Karmel
I am reading The Zahir currently and I think I am at the stage when I too am obsessed with the thought of my Zahir. I can see myself in the book; lost, wondering, searching…
I have a dialogue to exchange. I am following you on twitter and there are a few tweets mentioning you there. My twitter name is’ OnlyAGlimpse ” . It would be kind of you if you can follow my account on twitter so that I can freely exchange dialogue with you.
hello sir paulo iam ayesha i have just started reading ur book brida i found it very inspirational i just got it from a bookfair at my college the thing i want to appreciate about this book is that it have been written insuch a way that it compresses the love sprituality and mystery keep ur brilliant work up!!!!!
hi mr coelho,
first i would like to let u know how much i love your books.. and honestly i can relate to almost all the novels i read. anyway i am now reading zahir.. i havent finish the book yet however whenever i read the book i find my self crying.. i myself left the person I love so much.. with out explaination.. with saying sorry..and i just found out that she is w/ another woman. our relationship is different to other relationship. I know its not right to love someone w/ the same sexuality but what if my zahir is a female? i dunno.. really.. im confused.. and honestly when im reading the novel.. every single word touches my heart. right now im in the stage of depression and im hoping.. really hoping someone could ease this pain.. some could help me find the right path.. sometimes im losing hope.. and sometimes i feel like im lost.. anyway i hope u can read my letter.. i really have many things to share.. God bless u and more power..
Hi Stacey,
I have read your post and feel really sad after reading that. I also love Paulo Coelho books and with every book I feel that I understand the world and my position in it better. With every book I become better person even though I sometimes fight it. Please get more positive maybe your sadness is influencing other people, you don’t even know about. I can understand how difficult it is but you have to think that things happen for reasons. Time will heal everything. I am sure there are other people who love you very much and you focus your energy on them instead of beating yourself. I have been going through difficulty in my life and I am not perfect person but I try to be better. I move on. I have to be because life is beautiful. I wish you all the strength and happiness. Please focus on yourself and other positives you can leave on this Earth.A.
Hi Paulo,
I love ur work and I have read most of your books. Your books keep me at constant introspection and keeps me thinking always.
But I somehow unable to agree with ur view point of loving many. May be bcoz i have been brought up in an environment where loving many at a time is considered unorthodox.
What i believe is I can love somebody as my friend or i can feel sisterly or motherly but when i love somebody as my life partner I cannot love somebody else with the same feelings. But as you have mentioned in many of your books that we can have many soul mates and love many as our life partners. I somehow become very confused.
The most funniest part is my husband who had never read any of your books have/had same thinking as yours. Sometimes when I read ur books, i feel as if i am talking to my husband :)
Your books are very inspirational but as I mentioned earlier I get confused with the word and meaning of love :)
And most of the times I wonder can you find yourself in the writer you have written about in Zahir ???
Thank you for your extraordinary work
All these years I have been reading your books and all of them have been a deep inspiration for me and for all my family.
Now is a challenging time for everybody on this planet.
I am very proud to see that you are given your light with your position of accepting that you are important.
And the multinational are not going to sell us.
You are in your power and you deserve to be in your power.
They can not move us.
We are a lot and now is the Aquarium time. It is the time of Knowlege and we are working in groups for the new time of love.
All the structures of the society are changing. Thank you for your work and for your blissfull view to our planet.
Creator of All it is bless you and your family.
Incredible! Paul is a great writer– Life, love is the most unexpected but it s worth to live- Ups, downs sometimes painful–Yes ,Paul knows descriving painful moments and the endless battle for hope–
Thank you again-
Hello, folks around the world!
Paulo Coelho _ Thank you for making your point at letting us know, or having us notice, through O ZAHIR, that life always takes its own ways and not ours.
hello everybody and mr paulo!
the zahir was really an inspiring book and it has really changed everything i always thought. i believe that now im going to find happiness in my life too someway. to dare to do things, to love, and to find myself and who i really want to be! i don’t know how and all but it really is an inspiring book, thanks a lot for writing it!
Hello, just to add to your comment. As i am writing this i am almost finishing the book Zahir. So far i have been shocked at the approach the writer has taken with this book. The first book i read of Paulo is Brida. Brida and Zahir are written differently, still there is a similar message i am getting. That of searching for higher truths in our every day to day lives.
I learned an imporntant thing in Zahir, basicaly reflection. That we are a reflection of the people we love…I hope you continue to write Paulo and whenever you want to visit East Africa specifically Tanzania welcome…thanx
I completed reading The Zaher, in addition to the romantic story and the useful morals, the story is rich in interesting general geografical and historical knowledge. in addition I like the way the writter was thinking and approching other charactors to reach his wife. the charictor I admir most in the story was Maria becuase I felt that she loves him more that Esther did (at least in the story), and she deserve better end, but this is the trought about life happeness for somebody could be sadness for others.
One more thing If the writter did not get Esther in the end of the story his Zaher will become Maria.
How do you heal your emotional wounds?
The world as we know it is a product of our imegination. What we call love is usually better to call by it’s correct term, which is addiction. Love as it is cannot be large or small. It can either be complete or it does not exit. Most of us ( and notice I do not say “all of us”, because first of all how would I know such facts, and second if there is a manmade theory about something, then it’s possible that somebody experienced it in practice)…as I was saying, most of us will never know love, because we are addicted to emotions and feelings which are caused by our relationships with objects and people of which our “world” is composed. Love is acceptance of everything and everyone as they are, without prejudice or any emotions caused by our predispositions. There is a saying, that if you don’t love somebody, then you don’t love anybody. As egocentric as the nature has created us, it is nearly impossible for us to love, because we only “love” what we think gives us gratification, or makes us “happy”. Our brain is one sofisticated producer of chemicals which move the world.
And before I get bored of saying what I am sure most of us already know, I will answer the question about the emotional wounds. There are no wounds unless we take things personally,that is to say assume importance….and create a reality which is a mere delusion.
Have you ever observed a wild horse living its life in freedome? Have you ever observed un “unhappy” wild horse living its life in freedome? I hope you’re smiling now. :)
Peace and thank you Paulo
Namaste,
I can´t express in my soul the gratitude I feel towards you, this book awakened something in me some years ago and since then it has taken me through an unexpected path which makes me feel more alive than ever. You are a blessing which touches everyone who comes in contact with anything related to you. I have only one favor to ask,never stop fulfilling your dharma.
My Most Sincere Gratitude,
Daniel
Oh I forgot the most important part!
I couldn’t help but identify the protaginst with you personally. I started imagining someone else (who is physically not like you) but by the time I reached the conlusion it was you -in my mind – who was in front of the door with his face “caked with sand” :)
Hello Sir. Paulo,
It’s been approximately an hour since I finished your Zahir.
First off all, thank you for everything you’ve added for my knowldege and growth packs.
I believe that the time I started reading the part about the “acomodador” in the book was perfectly chosen for me by Allah, because I had planned to read that pages earlier but didn’t. Then, when I sat down and started reading, I realized that what I was doing right then in my personal life is to get rid of my acomodadors, only not knowing that this concept had a name- which your book has told me :)
Another thing is that I personally have a Zahir and while revieving your books trying to choose one of them decided that the Zahir is “the one” I should read. I love to read the thing that suits my recent state, the kind of knowledge earning which Islam calls: Ilm-ul hal (the knowlege one needs to cope with his recent state).
Hmmm what else what elseee… Oh yes
This is the third book of your books I read which made me realize that you are “non-realistic” (not “unrealistic” because it doesn’t give the meaning I am targeting to and contains a negative something). What made me conclude to this thought is that in your books, almost everyone -regardless of their, well… anything – is a philosopher! Everyone has clear ideas about complex conceptions. But you know what, this is your style and I like it :)
About the conlusion, I love your conlusions and what excited when I reached it thinking the best part is coming :) and just as I was preaparing myself to cry (yes I am the kind of audience who likes to be made cry ^_^) Esther said: “I’m pregnant” and I was all (hugh?!) and the tears ran away… I don’t know it wasn’t romantic frankly :) it distracted my concentration (on the tears hehe :D).
And a P. S. :)
Since the word “Islamism” is mentioned in this book, I would like to tell you as your reader that this word sounds and seems very irritating to me… my ears and eyes don’t like it… seeing ISLAM attached to an …ism. Well I’m not saying this because I have a particular thought or an issue about “isming” but it’s not the way we, Muslims, call it. The word “Islam” is simply enough to cover all the nouns that refer to any of those meanings (the name of the religion, the state of becoming a Muslim… ).
In the end, thank you for being around… You know… Readers always love to get in touch with the writers they like…
Dear Paulo,
Today I finished reading Zahir and I’m crying from this feeling that I cannot describe. You brought me back to the steppes of Kazakhstan. The whole feeling of it is so real, so true! Your description was as though you took it from my own memory: I remember galloping on the horse across the endless steppe, wind in my hair, eternal blue sky, smell of wormwood, liberating feeling of being one with the horse, the sky, the steppe, the whole Universe! Freedom.
10 years ago I had to leave Kazakhstan, running away, trying to save my life. I’m living in Cyprus for many years now. I began a new life here. I’ve separated my memories from feelings, so I could only see pictures of the past but not feel a thing, because some feelings were extremely painful.
Cyprus became my second home. I love this place, I love the sea. I have a new and completely different life here. I thought I didn’t miss anything from my past life, I’ve travelled few times back to Kazkahstan, just to visit my relatives but only reading your book took me back to the place where I grew up, to the place I love, the place that is so much a part of me.
Thank you!
lolita….you know what….you are so right to say tht the book takes u back to the place u love………
some of us have a secret place in our world where we go in times of extreme sorrow or happiness……………..somehow we feel peace there….no matter how much the earthlings are hard on us …..we find solace there….in my village at Bara in Pakistan there is small river infront of my house…….at times in life i so long to get there…………when I am delighted or deeply hurt………….
when you referred to the place hwere you grew up , the place you love and which is so much a part of you………you created such a vivid image of my place!
take care…….
Dear mr.paulo
i am a reader from indonesia.i’ve almost read all your book.but Zahir the first book that can me see my problem in another perspective.
i always think that i am a victim of love.it’s painful in 10 years of my marriage.now, i stop looking for love that i need. because love has it’s own life.like you said in Brida-love is liberty.love is freedom. now, i can let my zahir go to find the mission of his life.
My Zahir….
Let me see .When i first read this book I was suffering..
This book made me discover the patterns in my behaviour and how i developed a Zahir..
I had problems in my family and love life gave me conselation .So when i had a relationship problem it was like all hell breaking loose..
All my insecurities and mis trust emerged..All my vulnerbaility surfaced.
Funny that the period i suffered the most I understoord me the most.
This book helped me to search for me.
I can’t claim to have stopped obsession but surely I will know how to deal with it -with acceptance and compasasion not supression- when i face it again.
The Zahir is a masterpiece reminding us the basic thing in life often neglected by many.
How come you can think so deep about life and love and other things?
I fully admire you. =)
a medida que iva leyendo este libro me iva sumergiendo en la historia tanto que me lo tome a manera personal, cuando llegue al final me pregunte porque regreso con ella si esta embarazada de otro hombre, dije que quizas nunca haria tal cosa, pero lo dije porque nunca habia conocido el amor como lo he conocido ahora, el amor te hace hacer cosas que nunca pensaste hacer, gracias paulo por regalarnos libros como este que nos cambian la vida y que nos enseñan que la vida no es como se dibuja en nuestra mente.
Zahir.A nice story about love, life, change, challenge…I think everybody has a Zahir but every individual has to decide alone and will decide alone if is sacrifying years from his/her only life…to get back the loved person or will give place in his/her heart for a new love, a love without conditions. Of course 100%love drives us, peoples in any direction it wants. being in love means loosing ground…the question is do we want to stay on the ground? many questions could be raised. However the story touch everybodies heart and mind, makes people to start thinking about the remaining time. In those times in which we are living, we need to be fed with this kind of books, we need to be shaked up and told that we are to fast,running in parallel and opposite direction with life and have no tangence with it. We need more breaks.
Thank you Paulo Coelho.
I love your books. I’d love to meet you one day!
After I read this book i began to see love differently. Zahir is the real love that give us freedom, that gives us dreams. Love is the engine life. This book make me dream to that love which goes beyond time and space.
Hi Paulo, just to say thank you for the energy that you print in your work , we should understand each other, I´ve been in a relationship for 8 years, my Zahir is not the same that she was before , and so I am. After read the book I found myself in a meditation moment and I belived that every person in life has a chance to change or to find a new way to face this begining, our personal stories are specials and as you say we have to forget our past to reborn in present and live in happines,
Thanks for the inspiration to live
A friend