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,
lo zair e il primo degli 11 libri di coelho che ho letto.mi sono ritrovata in tutti ma a questo ci tengo in particolar modo perche mi ha aperto la via verso la mia ricerca spirituale
Hola Paulo!
Quiero compartirte que desde la primera vez que leì el Zahir tocò y trastocò mi vida y corazòn, en ese momento estaba pasando por cosas muy duras para mì y el leer el Zahir me dio ese pequeño empujoncito que todos necesitamos para seguir en este sendero llamado vida. Como toda guerrera me llenè de valor y he ihece un alto para ver mi vida y ver que lo que estaba haciendo no era lo que en verdad querìa, a tres años de distancia mi vida como la de Esther a los 30 cambiò, hoy se sigue transformando y quiero agradecerte por este libro que es como si lo hubieras escrito para mì para que lo leyera para que persiga mis sueños para que no me detenga, para mucas cosas. Hoy el Zahir sigue siendo mi consentido y debo confesra que lo he leìdo màs de 8 veces y aun cada vez que lo leo voy captando màs y màs y como decimos en Monterrey, Mèxico mi tierra me van cayendo los veintes. Definitivamente sigues siendo un Hermes en tiempos modernos en donde los sueños se van perdiendo en el consumismo y materialismo y otras tantas necedades, el Zahir inspira a volver a soñar a realizar esos proyectos pospuestos, a redireccionar tu vida y encontrar lo que nunca se ha perdido mi persona, mi esencia. Dios te bendice, un abrazo muy grande. Con cariño se despide de ti: Patty Castillo :)
Confìo muy pronto tener la oportunidad de conocerte en persona. Asì es, asì es, decretado està.
Your books have touched my life in so many ways. I was going through a really rough time in the last few months– financial, family, relationship, career– and I was practically lost. Your books sort of became my “Bible”. Particularly this one with The Zahir, I was able to cope up with losing a loved one. It helped me move forward and be positive. May you continue to inspire more people to make this world a better place.
EL ZAHIR FUE EL LIBRO QUE MÁS ME ATRAPO, YO LEO MUY RAPIDO. ASI QUE DE LO QUE MÁS RECUERDO DEL LIBRO ES QUE FUE UN ESPEJO DE LO QUE PASABA EN MI VIDA, TODOS SIN EXCEPCIÓN TENEMOS UN ZAHIR…. EL MÍO ERA EL QUE AHORA ES MI ESPOSO, Y ESTE LIBRO ME AYUDO A EXPLORAR ESE SENTIMIENTO QUE ESTUVO PRESENTE DURANTE 12 AÑOS DESDE MI ADOLESCENCIA HASTA QUE NOS REENCONTRAMOS……….. ES MUY FÁCIL MEZCLAR EL SENTIMIENTO CON EL PENSAMIENTO LA OBSESIÓN SOBRE EL SER AMADO EN EL CASO DEL LIBRO NOS LLEVA A LOS LECTORES A UN PASEO CASÍ DIAGRAMADO DE LA VIDA DE PAREJA…. HASTA QUE AL FINAL AL MENOS A MÍ ME HA DEJADO LA RESPUESTA A MI VIDA…. EL AMOR DEBE SER LIBRE POR DURO QUE SUENE.. XQ EL AMOR NACE DE LA LIBERTAD MISMA… SIN ESTAR ATADO SIN ESTAR PRESUPUESTO A UN ESPACIO EN EL TIEMPO DURA LO QUE ESTÁ DESTINADO A DURAR….. NECESITA PARA VIVIR GANAS MUCHAS GANAS RENOVACIONES CONSTANTES DE UNO Y DE OTRO LADO…. TOMAR CADA DÍA COMO ALGO ÚNICO… UN BESO DE BUENAS NOCHES PUEDE HACER LA DIFERENCIA
Paulo! Realmente lo que me inico a leer sus libros fue esta ultima “El Zahir” no porque me parecia interesante realmente sino porque solo el titulo se parece o tiene mucha semejanza a mi nombre; luego de leer este libro y ver como usted refleja ese amor y esa obsecion como tal me di cuenta que usted es una persona que muestra su alma en cada letra que coloca en un parrafo de sus libro…
Poco a poco he leido uno a uno sus libro y me atrevo a decir que tanto el primero como el ultimo no se a perdido la escencia de lo que es Paulo Coelho y realmente lo felicito y le agradezco infinitas veces lo que hace por cada persona que lee sus libro y lo que ha hecho por mi..
El cambio que cada uno de sus libros ha dado para mi vida.. Y asi como el exito del “EL Zahir” espero que este nuevo libro llene nuevamente cada parte de nuestro ser con sus historias y anecdotas que comparte con sus seguidores.
Zahir moved me deeply too.
As I see it the book Zahir is not about being physically far apart. I think it is about being mentally far away. It is very easy to live together with someone physically. It is very hard to live very close to each other mentally.
Zahir taught me how to forgive and how to understand when I’m really far away. It taught me that I have to fight and work hard to find the loved one again.
It is relatively easy to die for your loved one – but it is very hard to live together for 10-80 years. So it is easy to die heroically, but it is hard to live a normal happy life.
These are my thoughts.
It’s hard for me to say with certainty whether I would have taken Esther, back. In this book, more than the other few Coelho books I’ve read so far, the idea of love is fully illustrated. It’s just not told to you, it’s shown. The understanding between the two is on a different plane, which is why what’s between them is true love, no matter how many side jars they dip their hands in.
Would you take your lover back after he/she has had so many affairs???
Really very hard question….
Hard to tell…
according to my mood now I would answer YES I will forgive and take him back, but actually I hope not to be that weak and I will try my best to keep this strength up, he knows very well that I am his Zahir and I guaranteed that he cant live without me so this is his fault and let him try how it feels…
The ZAHIR, in every ones life, comes and goes, comes back unexpectedly and goes in different intensity, I came to realize that someone is capable of giving up something, before you can actually have them.
The ZAHIR in our life is our destiny, as one of the character in The Alchemist has said , MAKTUB!
Senor escritor, permitame hacerle una observacion positiva acerca de sus libros todos. Son un recurso exelente para hacer a un lado lo superfluo de todo este mundo manchado por la insignificancia de ideologias baratas. Gracias por hacer de mi vida un deleite. Y claro, sigame embriagando de su pasion y abrigandome con su obra.
Hola pablo, tengo 17 años y quiero decirte que El Zahir es el libro mas impresionante que revela casi todas las respuestas a las interrogantes que nos depara la vida y nunca la habia visto desde ese punto de vista.
Eres increible sigue adelante!
estimado pablo es singular afecto que despiertas con tus letras y la como nos las das, simplemente te digo que como los grandes sin ti la literatura estaria huerfana,como lo estaria sin quenes han hecho de la lectura una motivacion para disfrutar esta poarte de la vida.
estimado pablo es singular afecto que despiertas con tus letras y la como nos las das, simplemente te digo que como los grandes sin ti la literatura estaria huerfana,como lo estaria sin quenes han hecho de la lectura una motivacion para disfrutar esta poarte de la vida.
I was amazed as how can someone can exactly or even surpass to translate the yearning that you feel. It’s so nice to know that it is common to feel empty and you will actually move mountains for love. So intense! I love to read this over and over again.
i read thix book when i lost his love… he became my ZAHIR…that was most painful period of my life. I still rememeber each agony, each day when i cried and why i cried…
i got my zahir back… he took one step towards me… i took two … thank u paulo… i really want to meet you, with him one day
The Zahir is the most beautiful of all your titles, and takes me to 1001 Arabian nights, to oriental adventure with an esthetically dimension, to be found nowhere else. Whispering the word Zahir, sounds almost like a declaration of love in itself. Zahir, Zahir, stay with me.
Nothing in life hurt more than loosing our beloved. When a loved one leave us, it literally breaks our heart, and all the meaning of life seems to bleed away, and take us to nowhere. We will do anything, anything to have this person return, and hear one more time; I love you. I have my own Zahir, a man I’ve been waiting for a long time, who in my head has been made into an idealized picture of perfect love.
Zahir is what absorbs every desire in our heart and soul. For the writer, the Zahir is his wife, Esther. He is a free man, obsessed by a woman who has disappeared. His freedom was to choose to commit himself to this woman. I remember when I lost my loved one. I used to see his car, see him and see places reminding me of him constantly, like the writer does too. Suddenly, out of the blue; Oh, there is his car. I even went chasing some cars, only to find, it wasn’t him I wanted so desperately to be with again. Like the writer seeing Esther as his inner cathedral, filling everything, this man, my Zahir, is as having lost God Himself, lost a love only he can give.
I’m smiling when the writer reminisces writing his long love letter; A Time to Rend and a Time to Sew, because this has to refer to By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. I’m smiling because in Piedra it was Pilar telling the story, and all the time I knew the voice was Paulo’s, or rather his listening to the voice of his angel girl, he has been listening to since he was a young child. Or is this Mikhail’s angel voice? Smiling. The writer’s book to Esther, is ‘a hymn to love’.
The writer is very lucky, or cleaver to find his way to Esther. I never did find my Zahir. He hasn’t come back yet, as he promised. ‘I will always come back’, he said. The writer made a sacred, ritual promising to try to find her, and started to learn of a life Esther lived, that he knew little about. He tames his obsession for her and; ‘Now I love her in a more silent way’. Mikhail tells him Esther hasn’t left him, she has just disappeared for a while. The right moment for their reunion has to appear first. The writer doesn’t give up, never. He fights to the bitter end, and finds Esther staying by the steppes of Kazakhstan. Your Zahir, renews my own hope, that perhaps one day, my Zahir will come back too. I’m surely waiting for him who can change me from being nothing to be somebody who has everything!
I find your yearning for your Zahir very sad! I hope that you see that waiting is as good as giving up on life…. even when you suffer loss, you have to keep living your life. If this man is your true destiny, you will not lose him, if he isn’t, the right one will come to you at the right time. Whatever you do,do not wait….keep living! I wish you your true love.
Hello Sir,
I have been a big fan of your books. especially The Alchemist and Like the flowing river…it has definitely helped me grow as a person.. still The Zahir is something which will always remain very close to my heart..
I have two people who are very close to me my Brother and my Ex-boyfriend….they r both far away from me ….still my love for them has been unconditional and has helped me grow as a person. I cannot be with my ex- boyfriend due to some reasons,still even today we respect and love eachother though apart …..its like v have seen lots of ups and down still in the end we are aware that we will reamin close very close to eachother no matter were we land up ….and just that one awarness that there is someone who cares and loves me is more than enough to live a life …….isn’t it …..Thankyou for such a wonderful book ………wish u good luck!!!!!!
Hello, amongst other things i was struck by the notion of trust that this book raised for me. after years of living with people who were unfaithfull to me, i met someone – who up till now is faithfull. and i give him the hardest of times, becasue i find it hard to trust anyone 100% even myself. as i got older i realised the frailty and humanness in us all and i dont believe anyone can say they will never be unfaithfull. physically or emotionally. i have tried to open my heart and forget, and to live in the present, which i do pretty sucessfully. however i remain stuck on this point, and find if i try to force the matter i end up dreaming my husband has been unfaithfull, maybe my subconscious reminding me how it felt? any advice please.
many thanks love bec
Querido Paulo :
He leido muchos de tus libros , las temáticas me encantan , me hacen soñar y ver que puedo elegir mi propio destino, ver que lo implantado por otras personas no es lo que yo quiero para mi vida, tengo 17 años y gracias a tus libros he visto que puedo seguir mis sueños, me di cuenta del error que cometemos todos pensando que las cosas vanales e implantadas son las nos hacen ” felices” pero en realidad tenemos un vacio en el alma, sus libros me hacen ver mas alla de lo que esta establecido y de lo que ven nuestros ojos,siento que cada persona deberia hacer lo que su alma y corazón le dictan, pero lamentablemente la realidad es otra, y por más que quiera, estoy atada a ella sin poder hacer nada.
Espero seguir leyendo y deleitandome con piezas de literatura tan buenas como las que escribe usted.
Un abrazo cariñoso y nuevamente gracias por todo.
Un beso
Dear Paulo! Reading your books is a great pleasure for me, and “Zahir” is my favourite one.I have the only question to you: why you dont`t write the book about “love without answer”? I think, this theme troubles so many people.
My wife and I have just returned from a holiday in Italy where we both read a number of your books. It is difficult for me, as an avid reader to ‘push’ my wife to read – as she is not – but I knew she would get a great deal from The Zahir, and I was, for once, correct in this assumption.
For me, the story is an allegory for a much bigger question (and of course, a modern discourse of love) about what two people do, when in love, with the rest of their lives. This is actually quite a taboo subject! – or one that we hide from because the ramifications of considering it are too difficult and painful.
Society paints the picture for us, jobs, house, children, grow old, retire etc. The fact that these things are so often not enough is demonstrated by the high levels of divorce.
The characters in the Zahir are reconciled in the end to a new and different future, and we can only speculate on how that ‘newness’ is developed. But this represents a massive challenge to all.
I have read mixed reviews of this book, many of which I consider to be unfair in their assessment. Perhaps, in writing as you do, it is possible for people to look for too much within the text – or lack the imagination to see beyond what is actually a beautiful and simple story. Where you blur the lines of truth and fiction you create controversy – which is, I’m sure, to be welcomed.
I wish that all couples could read this book and see beyond the moving story to awakening the potential of their own relationships.
Your books have certainly affected my life in a way I could never have imagined – my guilty struggle is that these stories force me to confront my own minor demons alone – which is strangely addictive!
He leído unos 4 de tus libros, ahora estoy por acabar El Zahir.
Al princpio, éste último no me pareció tan cautivador como los otros (El Alquimista, La Bruja de Portobello, 11 Minutos,etc.), tal vez era yo la que no estaba en un momento adecuado para interesarme por él.
Me encuentro algo menos de un tercio de acabarlo y he encontrado el hilo que me amarra a la historia.
Es gracioso, porque le pedí a mi mamá que me envíe libros tuyos en español para leerlos acá en Florida. Cuando los recibí no tuve ganas de leerlos, hasta un tiempo después que empecé la Bruja de Portobello.
En cuanto termine El Zahir seguiré con otro de tu colección. Me fascina leer y alimentar mi alma al mismo tiempo.
Gracias por tu óptica diferente.
A propósito, leí tu biografía y veo que tu destino era tan importante que tuviste que sobrevivir al accidente que tuviste el momento de nacer.
Mucho cariño para ti,
Rossana.
ciao Paulo,
adoro i tuoi libri, il modo intimistico con cui li scrivi. Ogni libro ti scava dentro, ti fa riflettere, regala tante emozioni.
Zahir è un libro FANTASTICO, parla di quell’amore che dura per sempre, che rimane dentro di te nonostante il tempo. Quando l’ho letto mi sono emozionata perchè è come se lo avessi scritto per me.
Sei uno scrittore eccezionale, di una delicatezza speciale.
Miri al cuore del lettore, ripercorri con lui i viaggi che hai fatto, lo coinvolgi a tel punto da creare un legame indissolubile.
ti adoro
Dear Sir
I would like to express my admiration to you as an author and to say that your books has a significant impact on me. Recently I red again The Zahir because something
similar to happened to me my love abandoned me. And as she is not so far as the character in the book, I know where is she and what happens in her life. And I tried sincerely to find the reason why and the only answer was that she just have stopped to love me (if she ever had at all) jus like that XXX. I also tried to understand, forgive and not to suffer, in my opinion like the main character in the book. Now I could not help myself wondering isnâ??t it true that the Zahir is just a dirty slut, got pregnant from one who was just passing by? And isnâ??t the whole quest of her husband just a bullshit, meant to acquit him for the weakness not to be able to live without the whore he got the bad luck to fall in love in, and her for the infidelity? Wouldnâ??t it be more warrior-like to drawn the blood out of her expectant body like the former soldier in The winner stands alone? Is it fair to structure a theory justif ustif ying treason !by stating that love is changeable? I will be extremely grateful if You could comment on the constant reproach of jealousy (which I agree is bad) in your philosophy and reacting to it with understanding and seeking the guilt in ourselves instead in the one who kills the love in our heart.
Not in fact expecting an answer, I remain your admirer
R
Infidelity is in the mind not in the body… we must remember Esther went away from the emptiness of mind and heart and physical longings were never her reason to leave !! as for your love life… this too shall pass
I agree, but my point was does Paulo Coelho justifies weakness and infidelity in the name of love and the free circulation of its energy and if this contradicts with the path of the warrior – beacause even unspoken I felt remorse against the ex-soldier in the Winner stand alone. And basically the point of Zahir was like “Oh well, I guess I was wrong so she has the right to do whatever she likes and I will meditate on my mistakes in order to regain her” which to my opinion is not what a warrior does.
It doesn’t matter if she got pregnant or not.
They each knew that the other had sex partners outside marriage, so I guess when she went to that faraway land, she just couldn’t provide herself with birth control protection.
Let’s not forget what the author permitted himself to do while on his journey in Spain while he was supposedly writing his first book.
On the other hand, I can understand why the author forgave her (not easily though, since he had a shock that he didn’t wish to express): love that is possessive isn’t true love and degrades by time as the values that it is based upon aren’t solid.
I think that even when married people should consent of a certain physical freedom since faithfulness in regards to that is almost impossible, first reason I can give is sex incompatibilities between the two. Marriage shouldn’t bound you to live with that your whole life.
There’s a film I like a lot where it’s the woman who betrays her husband: The Painted Veil, an independent film with great acting and outstanding scenery, that I recommend seeing as it resembles The Zahir in some ways.
I haven’t read the book, but the title sure caught my attention. It was an encounter with an angel that brought me to learn of what he said was my “true” name, Zahhar, many years ago. To this day I don’t understand it, and I’ve stopped trying. But I did eventually decide to use it as my penname.
Admito que, durante todo livro, eu pensei que fosse um livro auto-biográfico! Na verdade, até agora, mesmo constando no final do livro que não era, eu ainda acredito que a maioria das partes, principalmente no que se refere à vida de um famoso escritor, seja de verdade, contando sua própria vida.
Lendo a sua bibliografia (O Mago), e o livro “O vencedor está só”, esta impressão aumentou.
Dear Mr.Coelho,
I have read this book, and I think that it is really very interesting book. But I have one question. The driver of your friend is Armenian and the restaurant is Armenian too. I just wanted to ask why you hvae choosen this nation, why not russian, english, brazilian, turkish or other… It is really interesting…
Permita-me cumprimentá-lo especialmente por esse livro, que em minha opinião veio assinalar sua maturidade absoluta como escritor. Já escrevi antes no seu blog, colocando um “post” para cada um de seus textos durante sua jornada Encontros no Caminho – Novo Diário de um Mago. Li recentemente sua biografia e fiquei surpreso com todas as voltas e reviravoltas na vida de alguém que soube preenchê-la em pleno com sonhos, erros e acertos. Penso que essa magia será o maior legado quando nos próximos séculos alguém tomar um livro seu nas mãos e disser: “Esse autor ainda vive em algum lugar, porque quem acredita em sonhos escreve sua própria Eternidade!”.
Quando vier a Lisboa seria uma honra poder recebê-lo para um almoço em casa, com a família. Comida simples e uma experiência de agradecimento eterno!
I have not read the book, but a simple question/observation from the title. Jorge Luis Borges wrote of the/a “Zahir” as the object of obsession, or, should I say, such intense focus as to cast off the rest of the world. For Borges, the object was a coin (if I’m remembering correctly), which was for me an apt symbol since this “casting off” of the the rest of the world could lead either to psychopathic destruction or calm contemplation (calling to mind St. Thomas More’s prayer, “Give me the grace good Lord… Not to long for worldy company but utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of the business thereof.”) Did Borges influence this novel? Judging from the blog descriptions of the plot, there appears to be some intersection.
You should’ve read the book before asking a question like that. The opening page of the book states what Borges wrote and explains it. The zahir in the book has the same connotation as Borges’ zahir.
“Time to tear…time to sew…”
This sentence is haunting me.
I would like to know if these words, which are repeated frequently in the famous novel “Zahir”, come from a real source supported by documents or from the author’s creative vein and fervent imagination.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi Mr coelho,
I just completed reading your book The Zahir for the third time. It’s really an inspiring and heart touching books one can ever read. The book that revolves around the power of true love, penetrates both the heart and the soul of a human. As you have written about the quest for finding true love, how true that we, the humans in some form or the other always look for THE ZAHIR in our lives. We try to fill in that empty space in our lives through various forms of THE ZAHIR, be it Mother, sister or even the most beloved person whom we love the most in our lives. As a child every person wants a mother to love him/her and the love of a mother fills in the empty spaces of his/her life, when he grows up the love of his/ her dear ones fill those spaces. Finally he comes to an age when he needs someone whom he can trust completly without any hesitation and share his life’s joys and sorrows. This is the stage when a person’s quest for true love begins in his/ her life. It is then when he tries to fill in this empty space by the most loved person in his/her life ie. THE ZAHIR.
Your book is an inspiration and a blend of various small realities one faces in life. It teches the lesson of true love and it’s importance in one’s life. It’s just upto a human to make a whole hearted effort in quest of the Zahir. Thank you for writing such a beautiful book one has ever read…….
A mi en lo partucular todos sus lobros son de mi agarado, me encanta su forma de escribir, con la delicadez e itensidad con la que relata y escribe las cosas me faciona.
En especial este libro me gusta much porque no es eltipico final que todos esperamos, sorprende y al mismo tiempo ves de distinta forma el amor, como se puede amar de mil formas diferentes sin, necesariamente seguir una rutina.
Escritor me facina como transmite sus pensamientos. Con amor: Ceci Andrade
Michael, foi um personagem que me marcou muito.Muito querido. Eu acho que ele não era doente, mas era mais fácil para as pessoas terem a explicação de que sim; pela falta de crença pessoal. Achei, bem interessante o jeito de como você escreveu essa parte do romance. Faz com que a gente possa viajar no personagem. Sentir a beleza da luz que vinha dele.
beijos,
Mari.
Actually this is my favourite book may be because I`m inlove with someone who`s so far away in other country.And I feel exactly the same way like the writer in the book felt.The book helped me to understand that If I have desire I can get in touch with my Zahir.
Thank you for helping me!I love all of your books!
hi,some weeks ago there was this topic about “angels”,at this time i wrote that here, i don’t kown who ect..then paulo said,the angels push us to action.so now, i remember…three years ago,when i was crossing again an hard path in my life.during this hard time,i worked with a woman,she’s rational,her feet are on earth,we talked a lot about politics topics.one day she gave me this book,so i had to do this action,read again a paulo’s book!i did,after many years,around more 20 years?!in fact i saw me in this book,in this part of love,passion,obsession,destiny.sometimes i was this man, lost,sometimes i was this woman,sure to do the rights things?there are so many details about feelings,as to give up and try to forget,then to give up again ect…in fact,after this reading,this woman gave me another book of paulo,the pilgrimage,i got my answers in this one!
el zahir, no lo lei, lo vivi, sufri el dolor del escritor por su esposa, estava obsecionada con el libro, llore cuando la encontro en aquel lejano pais asiatico, me moleste cuando el estuvo saliendo con marie, porque ella lo amaba, aprendi una leccion que jamas he de olvidar (la de los bomberos que van a lavarse luego del incendio) lo he leido 3 veces y las tres me pasa igual, paulo cada vez que releo uno de tus libros es como el primer dia
This book is one I read again and again. I need something to drive me in this life, but when I stumble across such a thing or person, they seem to take over everything. I try to let go and let other people follow their path while I follow mine, but it’s so difficult. Last week however, I lent the Zahir to a colleague of mine who’s having a rough time, and I was surprised to find I was a little more at peace with the world, having understood what the book is trying to teach me. Thank you.
At first I did not like the Zahir. As far as love stories I always expect the hollywood begining, middle and end. Boy meets girl, falls in love, happily ever after ect. Even though I’ve read many of Paulo’s other books I was still expected this. Also I was at the begining of a relationship. I just couldn’t imagine that if you loved someone you could leave them. But as I read on, what I got from the book, is that you have to stay true to yourself, your purpose and God. And not everything has a Hollywood ending, sometimes it’s even better.
sir Zahir is undoubtedly a good book but sir i would like to point out that silk route which you mentioned in this book which almost runs through entire asia transported Buddhism from India to China and not from China to India
sir, the book Zahir is an excellent piece of work.i am not much of a spiritual person but i believe in destiny,i believe in as you sow shall you reap. sir this book is not about spirituality but about we as human beings.there are many moments in this book that i feel so familiar with my life which truly astounds me.for instance we always do things to please others and make others happy but in that process we often forget our own happiness as to what exactly do we want.sir i think this book is an eye opener to me and to many.
I have read the Zahir in a very sad period of my life because the satory with my love was arrive at the end, and your book help to give the right sense to my love to my memory to my sensation , thank a lot , and it will be one of the book that I always suggest to read.
I really loved this book. It seemed to come to me at just the right time and prophesied events to come in my life. My husband left me to seek his own truth and as part of that he realised that I had been an obsession to him and that as such we had a very unhealthy relationship. At the same time I had felt that I was growing away from him while he was standing in place, drowning in quicksand. Having gone our separate ways, we yet hope to find our way back to each other, although we may need to do some more searching and understanding first. I have encouraged him to read The Zahir as I am sure he would quickly identify with the main character, but he is yet to do so. Time will only tell how my story ends.
I am surprised by some of the above posts assuming that the Zahir is Paulo’s story. It may be, yet I did not read it that way – it seemed such a universal theme. If it is I hope that all has worked out for the best for you, Paulo.
This is one of the best among them. so close and so far. It is a selfish book but dedicated at the same time. First time I read it I thought it is desperately trying to flash out the reality and personal emotion but as you go on you see that there is a lot more to make you look inside yourself and think about all unthinkable corners of yourself which you have forgotten long time ago……
Sorprendente historia, que como siempre inspira y motiva, llega al alma y al corazon…y sobre todo ami que me estoy iniciando en la escritura y mi sueño es ser escritor…te mando uno de mis poeamas con mucho cariño!!
No soy valiente por todo, No soy valiente por cualquiera, Pero si soy valiente por vos, Nada, ni nadie puede enfriar mi valor, Porque en mi mente tu nombre reside con honor, he encontado la pieza que faltaba en mi corazon, El puzle terminado crea una bella dimension, Tan bella que cualquier luna tendria envidia de esta ternura, Que nace en mi, Como el sol se muestra cada dia sin armadura, Pero he de decirte algo, no soy yo…es el AMOR!
I bought the book “Zahir” because I was interested when I saw the character chose “No One” to be his name as I browsed through. Later, I remember being excited to see that the character said to have understood true love speaks in present tense all the time.
There are books that makes me happy or even peaceful while reading them. Zahir is definitely one of them.
Even now, I don’t quite understand the message of the book, or to find a quote to remember. But, I believe this is those books to be read without reading the words.
I won’t go into detail about the paragraphs or chapters that I specifically liked, but I’ll only say that this is my most favorite book of yours because, as odd as it may sound, it is a full expression of myself. All of my life perspectives are gathered together in it, and I can’t thank you enough for being a voice for the souls that don’t have the gift of expressing themselves through words. Thank you, Paulo.
Every time I read a book, I have a notebook with me, so that when I read a striking sentence, I can write it down. I cant afford to buy the books, I have to borrow them from the library.Thank god for the library. So, the notebook is really useful in my case. Later i read the quotes over and over.
It hasnt been long since I finished reading “Zahir”. I dont have it quite figured out. All my knowledge about love is based on experiences of other. I am an observer. I analyze people I know, people I see on streets. I can read their eyes.
I liked the example with the rails. It is so often that people think that they should be like rails, always on the same distance from each other. Thats how my parents marraiage was. And they werent happy, not even a slightest bit. My dad, he was always on the same place and when my mom tried to grow and break the distance, he always pulled her back to her place.Only after my dad died, my mom started to grow, now that she had unlimited space, no one to pull her back. She is happy now. She is a different person, closer to herself than ever before.
It is sad that she spent more than 30 years standing on the same place. Only because he wasnt smart enough to let her grow and grow with her. Also, my mom was silly for staying with him, only because of us, the children. I always tell people, that it doesnt do good for anyone if two people stay together only for children. Children are much more happier if their parents are happy. In the book, the couple didnt have children. I wonder how it would have been, if there were children involved, would Esther still have left? Despite that, there was much to learn from the book. It defenately changed my view on life and love and marriage. Like always, right books come to my life at the right time. I am certain that I will read this book again when i have learned something new ,and it will open another things to me.
Thank you for writing such an amazing book!
i have 2 questions
1) Do your books link in a way? I mean, Zahir can be linked with the WInner, since Ewa is like Zahir to Igor..mm?
2) a silly one, Do you like mint candies, dear Paulo ? ;)
That is true, dear ? Thank you for your reply
And The Alchemist also is linked with WSA, Hamid was an alchemist i believe
Also Zahir speaks about War, and Igor had fought in a war..
I like this book a lot.
One of the highlights for me was the talk about “He died while he was still alive”. This is something I am sure that a lot of people are struggling for, including myself.
When reading this book, I am encouraged to pay more attention to my own true beliefs in life, and encouraged to be a little less afraid of doing things differently that the people around me.
Also I think it is a good thing that after all these years, Paulo Coelho (no matter if the story is 100% facts or adjusted for the book), is not described as someone perfect who is in control of everything in life. I would be tempted to think that after having written “The Alchemist”, Paulo had reached so much great truth in life that he would hardly ever be able to do anything wrong or have much doubt about anything, for the rest of his life. But after all these years he still seems very “human” and struggling with things like obsession and with telling what is just own desires and what is the best for other people involved in his life. (PS! Again, I don’t know if most of what the writer is experiencing has really happened in Paulo Coelhos life or not.)
Personally, I get a little surprised by reading about his strong love for other women while being on a path back to his wife. I find this unusual for this kind of story. And also the ending where it is revealed that his wife is pregnant with someone else. It makes me wonder what to think about it, and not least what did really Paulo and his wife think about it (as I don’t know anything about how the story went on from there).
I am thinking that this ending would convince some people that Paulo and his wife had lost all control of their lives and of what is right and what is wrong. Whereas others would say that Paulo and his wife had gained a lot of knowledge about themselves and a lot of love for eachother by being a long time apart. The ending of the book gives me the feeling that it is hard to gain any true happiness and love in life without going thru any pain, and without doing mistakes and without inflicting pain on others. Those who set the goal of having a life without pain and without mistakes, could well end up being most hurt of all as they are unlikely to get anywhere at all.
And still, I find it easy to use these arguments as an excuse of inflicting pain on others in the name of “trying to be alive” and “seeking truth”, when all I am really looking for is satisfying my own desires.
But I really think that knowing the difference between these two aspects , and struggling to stay on the “right” path and not just the one satisfying ones own desires, will make one a happier person, both to oneself and to others.
I am grateful for this book by Paulo Coelho. I don’t know how well I understand it, but it feels like it shows me good and truthful things about life. Thank you for this book!
I read the Turkish edition. I should have read the English one, as well. Primary reason for my read was an invitation from my ex-wife-to-be-but-then-gave-up-completely girlfriend.
Today is only a few days after her and her family’s “genuine?!?!?” rejection to my long-awaited marriage proposal.
In the book, it was nice to find Esther at the end, and I suppose I still have a chance to reach to my Esther, though there is no further action I could do, only to continue my way.
Most unfortunate difference from my Zahir to Coelho’s Zahir was that the level of obsession was not mutual in my case.
Thanks to Coelho for shaping up this book with so many good details beautifully decorating the journey as a celebration like a wedding.
It was a pleasure reading it. I loved your story, of a famous writer and his love story. You have in that book so many wonderful passages, as the one when you talk about writing, and u describe it with metaphors as a boat on a stormy ocean. The way you express feelings, made me see many mistakes we make, included me. For u talk about our fear of losing freedom, but we still long for a mate. We cant have both, only if we give up to something. Than the love story that make the writer put himself some questions, force him to react. He miss Esther only when she is gone. We all do that mistake. Than, the Sufi dance in the restaurant Michael brought the writer, you show it as a moment of eluding reality, a way of passing time.There too we encounter the feminine part of God, and the Universal Language.
The story of Michael, again with more options, one might think he is sick, or believe in his visions, is a way to grow, a lesson for the writer.I loved the customs u presented from the country Esther
lived. You presented her as a modern Penelope, with the difference she was expecting a child from another man. But where is love, that is the thing most count.
Ciao Paulo, io non so com’è nata l’idea per scrivere lo Zahir, posso dirti che non ricordo bene il libro ma questo perchè non mi ha entusiasmato molto, ci sono frasi geniali come sempre, ma non l’ho vissuto come un tutt’uno e non ho trovato una continuazione di ciò che mi ha lasciato dopo averlo letto. Mi spiego meglio, ogni tuo libro mi è rimasto dentro l’anima, aiutandomi a modificare il modo di porgermi con la mia vita e le mie esperienze, finito di leggere un tuo libro è come se una vibrazione passa dal libro a me e quella vibrazione lavora dentro me finchè diventa stabile nella costruzione del mio pensiero e delle mie azioni.
Ecco, leggendo Lo Zahir, questa vibrazione non è rimasta.
Sia chiaro che non voglio criticare ma solo cercare di capire il distacco che ho da questo libro.
Love
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
lo zair e il primo degli 11 libri di coelho che ho letto.mi sono ritrovata in tutti ma a questo ci tengo in particolar modo perche mi ha aperto la via verso la mia ricerca spirituale
Hola Paulo!
Quiero compartirte que desde la primera vez que leì el Zahir tocò y trastocò mi vida y corazòn, en ese momento estaba pasando por cosas muy duras para mì y el leer el Zahir me dio ese pequeño empujoncito que todos necesitamos para seguir en este sendero llamado vida. Como toda guerrera me llenè de valor y he ihece un alto para ver mi vida y ver que lo que estaba haciendo no era lo que en verdad querìa, a tres años de distancia mi vida como la de Esther a los 30 cambiò, hoy se sigue transformando y quiero agradecerte por este libro que es como si lo hubieras escrito para mì para que lo leyera para que persiga mis sueños para que no me detenga, para mucas cosas. Hoy el Zahir sigue siendo mi consentido y debo confesra que lo he leìdo màs de 8 veces y aun cada vez que lo leo voy captando màs y màs y como decimos en Monterrey, Mèxico mi tierra me van cayendo los veintes. Definitivamente sigues siendo un Hermes en tiempos modernos en donde los sueños se van perdiendo en el consumismo y materialismo y otras tantas necedades, el Zahir inspira a volver a soñar a realizar esos proyectos pospuestos, a redireccionar tu vida y encontrar lo que nunca se ha perdido mi persona, mi esencia. Dios te bendice, un abrazo muy grande. Con cariño se despide de ti: Patty Castillo :)
Confìo muy pronto tener la oportunidad de conocerte en persona. Asì es, asì es, decretado està.
Your books have touched my life in so many ways. I was going through a really rough time in the last few months– financial, family, relationship, career– and I was practically lost. Your books sort of became my “Bible”. Particularly this one with The Zahir, I was able to cope up with losing a loved one. It helped me move forward and be positive. May you continue to inspire more people to make this world a better place.
EL ZAHIR FUE EL LIBRO QUE MÁS ME ATRAPO, YO LEO MUY RAPIDO. ASI QUE DE LO QUE MÁS RECUERDO DEL LIBRO ES QUE FUE UN ESPEJO DE LO QUE PASABA EN MI VIDA, TODOS SIN EXCEPCIÓN TENEMOS UN ZAHIR…. EL MÍO ERA EL QUE AHORA ES MI ESPOSO, Y ESTE LIBRO ME AYUDO A EXPLORAR ESE SENTIMIENTO QUE ESTUVO PRESENTE DURANTE 12 AÑOS DESDE MI ADOLESCENCIA HASTA QUE NOS REENCONTRAMOS……….. ES MUY FÁCIL MEZCLAR EL SENTIMIENTO CON EL PENSAMIENTO LA OBSESIÓN SOBRE EL SER AMADO EN EL CASO DEL LIBRO NOS LLEVA A LOS LECTORES A UN PASEO CASÍ DIAGRAMADO DE LA VIDA DE PAREJA…. HASTA QUE AL FINAL AL MENOS A MÍ ME HA DEJADO LA RESPUESTA A MI VIDA…. EL AMOR DEBE SER LIBRE POR DURO QUE SUENE.. XQ EL AMOR NACE DE LA LIBERTAD MISMA… SIN ESTAR ATADO SIN ESTAR PRESUPUESTO A UN ESPACIO EN EL TIEMPO DURA LO QUE ESTÁ DESTINADO A DURAR….. NECESITA PARA VIVIR GANAS MUCHAS GANAS RENOVACIONES CONSTANTES DE UNO Y DE OTRO LADO…. TOMAR CADA DÍA COMO ALGO ÚNICO… UN BESO DE BUENAS NOCHES PUEDE HACER LA DIFERENCIA
Paulo! Realmente lo que me inico a leer sus libros fue esta ultima “El Zahir” no porque me parecia interesante realmente sino porque solo el titulo se parece o tiene mucha semejanza a mi nombre; luego de leer este libro y ver como usted refleja ese amor y esa obsecion como tal me di cuenta que usted es una persona que muestra su alma en cada letra que coloca en un parrafo de sus libro…
Poco a poco he leido uno a uno sus libro y me atrevo a decir que tanto el primero como el ultimo no se a perdido la escencia de lo que es Paulo Coelho y realmente lo felicito y le agradezco infinitas veces lo que hace por cada persona que lee sus libro y lo que ha hecho por mi..
El cambio que cada uno de sus libros ha dado para mi vida.. Y asi como el exito del “EL Zahir” espero que este nuevo libro llene nuevamente cada parte de nuestro ser con sus historias y anecdotas que comparte con sus seguidores.
Muchas Gracias =)
Dears,
Zahir moved me deeply too.
As I see it the book Zahir is not about being physically far apart. I think it is about being mentally far away. It is very easy to live together with someone physically. It is very hard to live very close to each other mentally.
Zahir taught me how to forgive and how to understand when I’m really far away. It taught me that I have to fight and work hard to find the loved one again.
It is relatively easy to die for your loved one – but it is very hard to live together for 10-80 years. So it is easy to die heroically, but it is hard to live a normal happy life.
These are my thoughts.
Kim
It’s hard for me to say with certainty whether I would have taken Esther, back. In this book, more than the other few Coelho books I’ve read so far, the idea of love is fully illustrated. It’s just not told to you, it’s shown. The understanding between the two is on a different plane, which is why what’s between them is true love, no matter how many side jars they dip their hands in.
Would you take your lover back after he/she has had so many affairs???
Really very hard question….
Hard to tell…
according to my mood now I would answer YES I will forgive and take him back, but actually I hope not to be that weak and I will try my best to keep this strength up, he knows very well that I am his Zahir and I guaranteed that he cant live without me so this is his fault and let him try how it feels…
The ZAHIR, in every ones life, comes and goes, comes back unexpectedly and goes in different intensity, I came to realize that someone is capable of giving up something, before you can actually have them.
The ZAHIR in our life is our destiny, as one of the character in The Alchemist has said , MAKTUB!
jovi you are living so this is maktub.enjoy it!
i loved the zahir – but did Esther stay with her husband or did they stay separarted?
thank you.
Hi Josie,
I think they end up together when Esther asked him to get another horse…
Senor escritor, permitame hacerle una observacion positiva acerca de sus libros todos. Son un recurso exelente para hacer a un lado lo superfluo de todo este mundo manchado por la insignificancia de ideologias baratas. Gracias por hacer de mi vida un deleite. Y claro, sigame embriagando de su pasion y abrigandome con su obra.
Gracias
Hola pablo, tengo 17 años y quiero decirte que El Zahir es el libro mas impresionante que revela casi todas las respuestas a las interrogantes que nos depara la vida y nunca la habia visto desde ese punto de vista.
Eres increible sigue adelante!
estimado pablo es singular afecto que despiertas con tus letras y la como nos las das, simplemente te digo que como los grandes sin ti la literatura estaria huerfana,como lo estaria sin quenes han hecho de la lectura una motivacion para disfrutar esta poarte de la vida.
estimado pablo es singular afecto que despiertas con tus letras y la como nos las das, simplemente te digo que como los grandes sin ti la literatura estaria huerfana,como lo estaria sin quenes han hecho de la lectura una motivacion para disfrutar esta poarte de la vida.
en hora buena, y muchos años mas
Potoco.
I was amazed as how can someone can exactly or even surpass to translate the yearning that you feel. It’s so nice to know that it is common to feel empty and you will actually move mountains for love. So intense! I love to read this over and over again.
i read thix book when i lost his love… he became my ZAHIR…that was most painful period of my life. I still rememeber each agony, each day when i cried and why i cried…
i got my zahir back… he took one step towards me… i took two … thank u paulo… i really want to meet you, with him one day
The Zahir is the most beautiful of all your titles, and takes me to 1001 Arabian nights, to oriental adventure with an esthetically dimension, to be found nowhere else. Whispering the word Zahir, sounds almost like a declaration of love in itself. Zahir, Zahir, stay with me.
Nothing in life hurt more than loosing our beloved. When a loved one leave us, it literally breaks our heart, and all the meaning of life seems to bleed away, and take us to nowhere. We will do anything, anything to have this person return, and hear one more time; I love you. I have my own Zahir, a man I’ve been waiting for a long time, who in my head has been made into an idealized picture of perfect love.
Zahir is what absorbs every desire in our heart and soul. For the writer, the Zahir is his wife, Esther. He is a free man, obsessed by a woman who has disappeared. His freedom was to choose to commit himself to this woman. I remember when I lost my loved one. I used to see his car, see him and see places reminding me of him constantly, like the writer does too. Suddenly, out of the blue; Oh, there is his car. I even went chasing some cars, only to find, it wasn’t him I wanted so desperately to be with again. Like the writer seeing Esther as his inner cathedral, filling everything, this man, my Zahir, is as having lost God Himself, lost a love only he can give.
I’m smiling when the writer reminisces writing his long love letter; A Time to Rend and a Time to Sew, because this has to refer to By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. I’m smiling because in Piedra it was Pilar telling the story, and all the time I knew the voice was Paulo’s, or rather his listening to the voice of his angel girl, he has been listening to since he was a young child. Or is this Mikhail’s angel voice? Smiling. The writer’s book to Esther, is ‘a hymn to love’.
The writer is very lucky, or cleaver to find his way to Esther. I never did find my Zahir. He hasn’t come back yet, as he promised. ‘I will always come back’, he said. The writer made a sacred, ritual promising to try to find her, and started to learn of a life Esther lived, that he knew little about. He tames his obsession for her and; ‘Now I love her in a more silent way’. Mikhail tells him Esther hasn’t left him, she has just disappeared for a while. The right moment for their reunion has to appear first. The writer doesn’t give up, never. He fights to the bitter end, and finds Esther staying by the steppes of Kazakhstan. Your Zahir, renews my own hope, that perhaps one day, my Zahir will come back too. I’m surely waiting for him who can change me from being nothing to be somebody who has everything!
I find your yearning for your Zahir very sad! I hope that you see that waiting is as good as giving up on life…. even when you suffer loss, you have to keep living your life. If this man is your true destiny, you will not lose him, if he isn’t, the right one will come to you at the right time. Whatever you do,do not wait….keep living! I wish you your true love.
Thank you KeyOnLife. Your point is a very important one. And I do agree! Sorry, for my late reply.
Hello Sir,
I have been a big fan of your books. especially The Alchemist and Like the flowing river…it has definitely helped me grow as a person.. still The Zahir is something which will always remain very close to my heart..
I have two people who are very close to me my Brother and my Ex-boyfriend….they r both far away from me ….still my love for them has been unconditional and has helped me grow as a person. I cannot be with my ex- boyfriend due to some reasons,still even today we respect and love eachother though apart …..its like v have seen lots of ups and down still in the end we are aware that we will reamin close very close to eachother no matter were we land up ….and just that one awarness that there is someone who cares and loves me is more than enough to live a life …….isn’t it …..Thankyou for such a wonderful book ………wish u good luck!!!!!!
Hello, amongst other things i was struck by the notion of trust that this book raised for me. after years of living with people who were unfaithfull to me, i met someone – who up till now is faithfull. and i give him the hardest of times, becasue i find it hard to trust anyone 100% even myself. as i got older i realised the frailty and humanness in us all and i dont believe anyone can say they will never be unfaithfull. physically or emotionally. i have tried to open my heart and forget, and to live in the present, which i do pretty sucessfully. however i remain stuck on this point, and find if i try to force the matter i end up dreaming my husband has been unfaithfull, maybe my subconscious reminding me how it felt? any advice please.
many thanks love bec
Querido Paulo :
He leido muchos de tus libros , las temáticas me encantan , me hacen soñar y ver que puedo elegir mi propio destino, ver que lo implantado por otras personas no es lo que yo quiero para mi vida, tengo 17 años y gracias a tus libros he visto que puedo seguir mis sueños, me di cuenta del error que cometemos todos pensando que las cosas vanales e implantadas son las nos hacen ” felices” pero en realidad tenemos un vacio en el alma, sus libros me hacen ver mas alla de lo que esta establecido y de lo que ven nuestros ojos,siento que cada persona deberia hacer lo que su alma y corazón le dictan, pero lamentablemente la realidad es otra, y por más que quiera, estoy atada a ella sin poder hacer nada.
Espero seguir leyendo y deleitandome con piezas de literatura tan buenas como las que escribe usted.
Un abrazo cariñoso y nuevamente gracias por todo.
Un beso
Dear Paulo! Reading your books is a great pleasure for me, and “Zahir” is my favourite one.I have the only question to you: why you dont`t write the book about “love without answer”? I think, this theme troubles so many people.
Dear Paulo,
My wife and I have just returned from a holiday in Italy where we both read a number of your books. It is difficult for me, as an avid reader to ‘push’ my wife to read – as she is not – but I knew she would get a great deal from The Zahir, and I was, for once, correct in this assumption.
For me, the story is an allegory for a much bigger question (and of course, a modern discourse of love) about what two people do, when in love, with the rest of their lives. This is actually quite a taboo subject! – or one that we hide from because the ramifications of considering it are too difficult and painful.
Society paints the picture for us, jobs, house, children, grow old, retire etc. The fact that these things are so often not enough is demonstrated by the high levels of divorce.
The characters in the Zahir are reconciled in the end to a new and different future, and we can only speculate on how that ‘newness’ is developed. But this represents a massive challenge to all.
I have read mixed reviews of this book, many of which I consider to be unfair in their assessment. Perhaps, in writing as you do, it is possible for people to look for too much within the text – or lack the imagination to see beyond what is actually a beautiful and simple story. Where you blur the lines of truth and fiction you create controversy – which is, I’m sure, to be welcomed.
I wish that all couples could read this book and see beyond the moving story to awakening the potential of their own relationships.
Your books have certainly affected my life in a way I could never have imagined – my guilty struggle is that these stories force me to confront my own minor demons alone – which is strangely addictive!
I hope we will meet one day
Bob Morrell
Hola Paulo,
He leído unos 4 de tus libros, ahora estoy por acabar El Zahir.
Al princpio, éste último no me pareció tan cautivador como los otros (El Alquimista, La Bruja de Portobello, 11 Minutos,etc.), tal vez era yo la que no estaba en un momento adecuado para interesarme por él.
Me encuentro algo menos de un tercio de acabarlo y he encontrado el hilo que me amarra a la historia.
Es gracioso, porque le pedí a mi mamá que me envíe libros tuyos en español para leerlos acá en Florida. Cuando los recibí no tuve ganas de leerlos, hasta un tiempo después que empecé la Bruja de Portobello.
En cuanto termine El Zahir seguiré con otro de tu colección. Me fascina leer y alimentar mi alma al mismo tiempo.
Gracias por tu óptica diferente.
A propósito, leí tu biografía y veo que tu destino era tan importante que tuviste que sobrevivir al accidente que tuviste el momento de nacer.
Mucho cariño para ti,
Rossana.
ciao Paulo,
adoro i tuoi libri, il modo intimistico con cui li scrivi. Ogni libro ti scava dentro, ti fa riflettere, regala tante emozioni.
Zahir è un libro FANTASTICO, parla di quell’amore che dura per sempre, che rimane dentro di te nonostante il tempo. Quando l’ho letto mi sono emozionata perchè è come se lo avessi scritto per me.
Sei uno scrittore eccezionale, di una delicatezza speciale.
Miri al cuore del lettore, ripercorri con lui i viaggi che hai fatto, lo coinvolgi a tel punto da creare un legame indissolubile.
ti adoro
Dear Sir
I would like to express my admiration to you as an author and to say that your books has a significant impact on me. Recently I red again The Zahir because something
similar to happened to me my love abandoned me. And as she is not so far as the character in the book, I know where is she and what happens in her life. And I tried sincerely to find the reason why and the only answer was that she just have stopped to love me (if she ever had at all) jus like that XXX. I also tried to understand, forgive and not to suffer, in my opinion like the main character in the book. Now I could not help myself wondering isnâ??t it true that the Zahir is just a dirty slut, got pregnant from one who was just passing by? And isnâ??t the whole quest of her husband just a bullshit, meant to acquit him for the weakness not to be able to live without the whore he got the bad luck to fall in love in, and her for the infidelity? Wouldnâ??t it be more warrior-like to drawn the blood out of her expectant body like the former soldier in The winner stands alone? Is it fair to structure a theory justif ustif ying treason !by stating that love is changeable? I will be extremely grateful if You could comment on the constant reproach of jealousy (which I agree is bad) in your philosophy and reacting to it with understanding and seeking the guilt in ourselves instead in the one who kills the love in our heart.
Not in fact expecting an answer, I remain your admirer
R
Infidelity is in the mind not in the body… we must remember Esther went away from the emptiness of mind and heart and physical longings were never her reason to leave !! as for your love life… this too shall pass
I agree, but my point was does Paulo Coelho justifies weakness and infidelity in the name of love and the free circulation of its energy and if this contradicts with the path of the warrior – beacause even unspoken I felt remorse against the ex-soldier in the Winner stand alone. And basically the point of Zahir was like “Oh well, I guess I was wrong so she has the right to do whatever she likes and I will meditate on my mistakes in order to regain her” which to my opinion is not what a warrior does.
It doesn’t matter if she got pregnant or not.
They each knew that the other had sex partners outside marriage, so I guess when she went to that faraway land, she just couldn’t provide herself with birth control protection.
Let’s not forget what the author permitted himself to do while on his journey in Spain while he was supposedly writing his first book.
On the other hand, I can understand why the author forgave her (not easily though, since he had a shock that he didn’t wish to express): love that is possessive isn’t true love and degrades by time as the values that it is based upon aren’t solid.
I think that even when married people should consent of a certain physical freedom since faithfulness in regards to that is almost impossible, first reason I can give is sex incompatibilities between the two. Marriage shouldn’t bound you to live with that your whole life.
There’s a film I like a lot where it’s the woman who betrays her husband: The Painted Veil, an independent film with great acting and outstanding scenery, that I recommend seeing as it resembles The Zahir in some ways.
I haven’t read the book, but the title sure caught my attention. It was an encounter with an angel that brought me to learn of what he said was my “true” name, Zahhar, many years ago. To this day I don’t understand it, and I’ve stopped trying. But I did eventually decide to use it as my penname.
Caro Paulo!
Admito que, durante todo livro, eu pensei que fosse um livro auto-biográfico! Na verdade, até agora, mesmo constando no final do livro que não era, eu ainda acredito que a maioria das partes, principalmente no que se refere à vida de um famoso escritor, seja de verdade, contando sua própria vida.
Lendo a sua bibliografia (O Mago), e o livro “O vencedor está só”, esta impressão aumentou.
Abraços!
Renato
(From São Paulo City, Brazil).
Dear Mr.Coelho,
I have read this book, and I think that it is really very interesting book. But I have one question. The driver of your friend is Armenian and the restaurant is Armenian too. I just wanted to ask why you hvae choosen this nation, why not russian, english, brazilian, turkish or other… It is really interesting…
Good question Gunel, I’m Armenian so the answer would be very interesting for me as well!
Maybe because he just likes the food and the people a lot! :)
Yes Paulo?
You want to be flattered don’t you?
Caro amigo Paulo Coelho:
Permita-me cumprimentá-lo especialmente por esse livro, que em minha opinião veio assinalar sua maturidade absoluta como escritor. Já escrevi antes no seu blog, colocando um “post” para cada um de seus textos durante sua jornada Encontros no Caminho – Novo Diário de um Mago. Li recentemente sua biografia e fiquei surpreso com todas as voltas e reviravoltas na vida de alguém que soube preenchê-la em pleno com sonhos, erros e acertos. Penso que essa magia será o maior legado quando nos próximos séculos alguém tomar um livro seu nas mãos e disser: “Esse autor ainda vive em algum lugar, porque quem acredita em sonhos escreve sua própria Eternidade!”.
Quando vier a Lisboa seria uma honra poder recebê-lo para um almoço em casa, com a família. Comida simples e uma experiência de agradecimento eterno!
Do sempre amigo,
José Luiz Silva Nunes
I have not read the book, but a simple question/observation from the title. Jorge Luis Borges wrote of the/a “Zahir” as the object of obsession, or, should I say, such intense focus as to cast off the rest of the world. For Borges, the object was a coin (if I’m remembering correctly), which was for me an apt symbol since this “casting off” of the the rest of the world could lead either to psychopathic destruction or calm contemplation (calling to mind St. Thomas More’s prayer, “Give me the grace good Lord… Not to long for worldy company but utterly to cast off the world and rid my mind of the business thereof.”) Did Borges influence this novel? Judging from the blog descriptions of the plot, there appears to be some intersection.
You should’ve read the book before asking a question like that. The opening page of the book states what Borges wrote and explains it. The zahir in the book has the same connotation as Borges’ zahir.
“Time to tear…time to sew…”
This sentence is haunting me.
I would like to know if these words, which are repeated frequently in the famous novel “Zahir”, come from a real source supported by documents or from the author’s creative vein and fervent imagination.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Mariagrazia
They come from the bible. Ecclesiastes 3:7
Hi Mr coelho,
I just completed reading your book The Zahir for the third time. It’s really an inspiring and heart touching books one can ever read. The book that revolves around the power of true love, penetrates both the heart and the soul of a human. As you have written about the quest for finding true love, how true that we, the humans in some form or the other always look for THE ZAHIR in our lives. We try to fill in that empty space in our lives through various forms of THE ZAHIR, be it Mother, sister or even the most beloved person whom we love the most in our lives. As a child every person wants a mother to love him/her and the love of a mother fills in the empty spaces of his/her life, when he grows up the love of his/ her dear ones fill those spaces. Finally he comes to an age when he needs someone whom he can trust completly without any hesitation and share his life’s joys and sorrows. This is the stage when a person’s quest for true love begins in his/ her life. It is then when he tries to fill in this empty space by the most loved person in his/her life ie. THE ZAHIR.
Your book is an inspiration and a blend of various small realities one faces in life. It teches the lesson of true love and it’s importance in one’s life. It’s just upto a human to make a whole hearted effort in quest of the Zahir. Thank you for writing such a beautiful book one has ever read…….
I guess that I don’t have big sorrows. I made many mistakes, but so far I live my life in a very intense way, so there is no time for sorrow.
“I made many mistakes, but so far I live my life in a very intense way, so there is no time for sorrow.”
Paulo,
Could you elaborate more on living your life “in a very intense way”? I assume there is some power in living intensely with no sign of sorrow.
Much obliged,
T.K.
And a publisher is a man.
Oh! back to the beginning again.
A mi en lo partucular todos sus lobros son de mi agarado, me encanta su forma de escribir, con la delicadez e itensidad con la que relata y escribe las cosas me faciona.
En especial este libro me gusta much porque no es eltipico final que todos esperamos, sorprende y al mismo tiempo ves de distinta forma el amor, como se puede amar de mil formas diferentes sin, necesariamente seguir una rutina.
Escritor me facina como transmite sus pensamientos. Con amor: Ceci Andrade
Michael, foi um personagem que me marcou muito.Muito querido. Eu acho que ele não era doente, mas era mais fácil para as pessoas terem a explicação de que sim; pela falta de crença pessoal. Achei, bem interessante o jeito de como você escreveu essa parte do romance. Faz com que a gente possa viajar no personagem. Sentir a beleza da luz que vinha dele.
beijos,
Mari.
Actually this is my favourite book may be because I`m inlove with someone who`s so far away in other country.And I feel exactly the same way like the writer in the book felt.The book helped me to understand that If I have desire I can get in touch with my Zahir.
Thank you for helping me!I love all of your books!
hi,some weeks ago there was this topic about “angels”,at this time i wrote that here, i don’t kown who ect..then paulo said,the angels push us to action.so now, i remember…three years ago,when i was crossing again an hard path in my life.during this hard time,i worked with a woman,she’s rational,her feet are on earth,we talked a lot about politics topics.one day she gave me this book,so i had to do this action,read again a paulo’s book!i did,after many years,around more 20 years?!in fact i saw me in this book,in this part of love,passion,obsession,destiny.sometimes i was this man, lost,sometimes i was this woman,sure to do the rights things?there are so many details about feelings,as to give up and try to forget,then to give up again ect…in fact,after this reading,this woman gave me another book of paulo,the pilgrimage,i got my answers in this one!
el zahir, no lo lei, lo vivi, sufri el dolor del escritor por su esposa, estava obsecionada con el libro, llore cuando la encontro en aquel lejano pais asiatico, me moleste cuando el estuvo saliendo con marie, porque ella lo amaba, aprendi una leccion que jamas he de olvidar (la de los bomberos que van a lavarse luego del incendio) lo he leido 3 veces y las tres me pasa igual, paulo cada vez que releo uno de tus libros es como el primer dia
el zahir es uno de mis favoritos
This book is one I read again and again. I need something to drive me in this life, but when I stumble across such a thing or person, they seem to take over everything. I try to let go and let other people follow their path while I follow mine, but it’s so difficult. Last week however, I lent the Zahir to a colleague of mine who’s having a rough time, and I was surprised to find I was a little more at peace with the world, having understood what the book is trying to teach me. Thank you.
At first I did not like the Zahir. As far as love stories I always expect the hollywood begining, middle and end. Boy meets girl, falls in love, happily ever after ect. Even though I’ve read many of Paulo’s other books I was still expected this. Also I was at the begining of a relationship. I just couldn’t imagine that if you loved someone you could leave them. But as I read on, what I got from the book, is that you have to stay true to yourself, your purpose and God. And not everything has a Hollywood ending, sometimes it’s even better.
sir Zahir is undoubtedly a good book but sir i would like to point out that silk route which you mentioned in this book which almost runs through entire asia transported Buddhism from India to China and not from China to India
You are right, and I asked already to make this change when the book was first published. Many editions have this correction, but not all.
sir, the book Zahir is an excellent piece of work.i am not much of a spiritual person but i believe in destiny,i believe in as you sow shall you reap. sir this book is not about spirituality but about we as human beings.there are many moments in this book that i feel so familiar with my life which truly astounds me.for instance we always do things to please others and make others happy but in that process we often forget our own happiness as to what exactly do we want.sir i think this book is an eye opener to me and to many.
Thank You,
sonali
Dear Paulo .,
I have read the Zahir in a very sad period of my life because the satory with my love was arrive at the end, and your book help to give the right sense to my love to my memory to my sensation , thank a lot , and it will be one of the book that I always suggest to read.
Roberta
I really loved this book. It seemed to come to me at just the right time and prophesied events to come in my life. My husband left me to seek his own truth and as part of that he realised that I had been an obsession to him and that as such we had a very unhealthy relationship. At the same time I had felt that I was growing away from him while he was standing in place, drowning in quicksand. Having gone our separate ways, we yet hope to find our way back to each other, although we may need to do some more searching and understanding first. I have encouraged him to read The Zahir as I am sure he would quickly identify with the main character, but he is yet to do so. Time will only tell how my story ends.
I am surprised by some of the above posts assuming that the Zahir is Paulo’s story. It may be, yet I did not read it that way – it seemed such a universal theme. If it is I hope that all has worked out for the best for you, Paulo.
This is one of the best among them. so close and so far. It is a selfish book but dedicated at the same time. First time I read it I thought it is desperately trying to flash out the reality and personal emotion but as you go on you see that there is a lot more to make you look inside yourself and think about all unthinkable corners of yourself which you have forgotten long time ago……
Sorprendente historia, que como siempre inspira y motiva, llega al alma y al corazon…y sobre todo ami que me estoy iniciando en la escritura y mi sueño es ser escritor…te mando uno de mis poeamas con mucho cariño!!
No soy valiente por todo, No soy valiente por cualquiera, Pero si soy valiente por vos, Nada, ni nadie puede enfriar mi valor, Porque en mi mente tu nombre reside con honor, he encontado la pieza que faltaba en mi corazon, El puzle terminado crea una bella dimension, Tan bella que cualquier luna tendria envidia de esta ternura, Que nace en mi, Como el sol se muestra cada dia sin armadura, Pero he de decirte algo, no soy yo…es el AMOR!
I bought the book “Zahir” because I was interested when I saw the character chose “No One” to be his name as I browsed through. Later, I remember being excited to see that the character said to have understood true love speaks in present tense all the time.
There are books that makes me happy or even peaceful while reading them. Zahir is definitely one of them.
Even now, I don’t quite understand the message of the book, or to find a quote to remember. But, I believe this is those books to be read without reading the words.
I won’t go into detail about the paragraphs or chapters that I specifically liked, but I’ll only say that this is my most favorite book of yours because, as odd as it may sound, it is a full expression of myself. All of my life perspectives are gathered together in it, and I can’t thank you enough for being a voice for the souls that don’t have the gift of expressing themselves through words. Thank you, Paulo.
Every time I read a book, I have a notebook with me, so that when I read a striking sentence, I can write it down. I cant afford to buy the books, I have to borrow them from the library.Thank god for the library. So, the notebook is really useful in my case. Later i read the quotes over and over.
It hasnt been long since I finished reading “Zahir”. I dont have it quite figured out. All my knowledge about love is based on experiences of other. I am an observer. I analyze people I know, people I see on streets. I can read their eyes.
I liked the example with the rails. It is so often that people think that they should be like rails, always on the same distance from each other. Thats how my parents marraiage was. And they werent happy, not even a slightest bit. My dad, he was always on the same place and when my mom tried to grow and break the distance, he always pulled her back to her place.Only after my dad died, my mom started to grow, now that she had unlimited space, no one to pull her back. She is happy now. She is a different person, closer to herself than ever before.
It is sad that she spent more than 30 years standing on the same place. Only because he wasnt smart enough to let her grow and grow with her. Also, my mom was silly for staying with him, only because of us, the children. I always tell people, that it doesnt do good for anyone if two people stay together only for children. Children are much more happier if their parents are happy. In the book, the couple didnt have children. I wonder how it would have been, if there were children involved, would Esther still have left? Despite that, there was much to learn from the book. It defenately changed my view on life and love and marriage. Like always, right books come to my life at the right time. I am certain that I will read this book again when i have learned something new ,and it will open another things to me.
Thank you for writing such an amazing book!
“Zahir” I read the book five times and was until I saw that I realized what it means to the following:
“because of the distance from the rails”
“break time and time sewing”
“There are no winners or losers letters”
Some many things.
i have 2 questions
1) Do your books link in a way? I mean, Zahir can be linked with the WInner, since Ewa is like Zahir to Igor..mm?
2) a silly one, Do you like mint candies, dear Paulo ? ;)
Love and Graditude
Annie
Of course they do.
The WSA is even linked to Brida.
That is true, dear ? Thank you for your reply
And The Alchemist also is linked with WSA, Hamid was an alchemist i believe
Also Zahir speaks about War, and Igor had fought in a war..
I like this book a lot.
One of the highlights for me was the talk about “He died while he was still alive”. This is something I am sure that a lot of people are struggling for, including myself.
When reading this book, I am encouraged to pay more attention to my own true beliefs in life, and encouraged to be a little less afraid of doing things differently that the people around me.
Also I think it is a good thing that after all these years, Paulo Coelho (no matter if the story is 100% facts or adjusted for the book), is not described as someone perfect who is in control of everything in life. I would be tempted to think that after having written “The Alchemist”, Paulo had reached so much great truth in life that he would hardly ever be able to do anything wrong or have much doubt about anything, for the rest of his life. But after all these years he still seems very “human” and struggling with things like obsession and with telling what is just own desires and what is the best for other people involved in his life. (PS! Again, I don’t know if most of what the writer is experiencing has really happened in Paulo Coelhos life or not.)
Personally, I get a little surprised by reading about his strong love for other women while being on a path back to his wife. I find this unusual for this kind of story. And also the ending where it is revealed that his wife is pregnant with someone else. It makes me wonder what to think about it, and not least what did really Paulo and his wife think about it (as I don’t know anything about how the story went on from there).
I am thinking that this ending would convince some people that Paulo and his wife had lost all control of their lives and of what is right and what is wrong. Whereas others would say that Paulo and his wife had gained a lot of knowledge about themselves and a lot of love for eachother by being a long time apart. The ending of the book gives me the feeling that it is hard to gain any true happiness and love in life without going thru any pain, and without doing mistakes and without inflicting pain on others. Those who set the goal of having a life without pain and without mistakes, could well end up being most hurt of all as they are unlikely to get anywhere at all.
And still, I find it easy to use these arguments as an excuse of inflicting pain on others in the name of “trying to be alive” and “seeking truth”, when all I am really looking for is satisfying my own desires.
But I really think that knowing the difference between these two aspects , and struggling to stay on the “right” path and not just the one satisfying ones own desires, will make one a happier person, both to oneself and to others.
I am grateful for this book by Paulo Coelho. I don’t know how well I understand it, but it feels like it shows me good and truthful things about life. Thank you for this book!
I read the Turkish edition. I should have read the English one, as well. Primary reason for my read was an invitation from my ex-wife-to-be-but-then-gave-up-completely girlfriend.
Today is only a few days after her and her family’s “genuine?!?!?” rejection to my long-awaited marriage proposal.
In the book, it was nice to find Esther at the end, and I suppose I still have a chance to reach to my Esther, though there is no further action I could do, only to continue my way.
Most unfortunate difference from my Zahir to Coelho’s Zahir was that the level of obsession was not mutual in my case.
Thanks to Coelho for shaping up this book with so many good details beautifully decorating the journey as a celebration like a wedding.
It was a pleasure reading it. I loved your story, of a famous writer and his love story. You have in that book so many wonderful passages, as the one when you talk about writing, and u describe it with metaphors as a boat on a stormy ocean. The way you express feelings, made me see many mistakes we make, included me. For u talk about our fear of losing freedom, but we still long for a mate. We cant have both, only if we give up to something. Than the love story that make the writer put himself some questions, force him to react. He miss Esther only when she is gone. We all do that mistake. Than, the Sufi dance in the restaurant Michael brought the writer, you show it as a moment of eluding reality, a way of passing time.There too we encounter the feminine part of God, and the Universal Language.
The story of Michael, again with more options, one might think he is sick, or believe in his visions, is a way to grow, a lesson for the writer.I loved the customs u presented from the country Esther
lived. You presented her as a modern Penelope, with the difference she was expecting a child from another man. But where is love, that is the thing most count.
Ciao Paulo, io non so com’è nata l’idea per scrivere lo Zahir, posso dirti che non ricordo bene il libro ma questo perchè non mi ha entusiasmato molto, ci sono frasi geniali come sempre, ma non l’ho vissuto come un tutt’uno e non ho trovato una continuazione di ciò che mi ha lasciato dopo averlo letto. Mi spiego meglio, ogni tuo libro mi è rimasto dentro l’anima, aiutandomi a modificare il modo di porgermi con la mia vita e le mie esperienze, finito di leggere un tuo libro è come se una vibrazione passa dal libro a me e quella vibrazione lavora dentro me finchè diventa stabile nella costruzione del mio pensiero e delle mie azioni.
Ecco, leggendo Lo Zahir, questa vibrazione non è rimasta.
Sia chiaro che non voglio criticare ma solo cercare di capire il distacco che ho da questo libro.
Love