Archive for the 'Q&A' CategoryPage 2 of 20

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 18, 2008
in Q&A
. 9 Comments

How do you perceive the multiple identities in this increasingly shrinking world?

When you talk of a “shrinking world” you are highlighting the fact that communication is omnipresent, that people can interact virtually anywhere in the world and this gives us the feeling that borders are being erased, differences blurred.

It’s true that these ever increasing flows of communication have an impact in different cultures but one cannot forget that this also fosters new type of culture.

I believe that this new culture – based in communication tools - actually enables people to assume a wider variety of identities. Take a typical internet user: one has the freedom to create an avatar, build up a character, or reveal a hidden side… Internet enables people to play a part, extract and exhibit their desires, their demons, their hopes.

I have the feeling that in today’s world, multiple identities are encouraged by this new culture of hyper-communication.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 15, 2008
in Q&A
. 17 Comments

You have been a non-conformist throughout your life. What do you think of the man-made organisations? Do they, in any way, obstruct the path of progressives like you?

In today’s society (as was the case in the past) there is a tremendous amount of energy spent on trying to make people conform: to established behavior, to established religions, namely, to a certain type of thought. This uniformity is very tricky because it comes through a certain «political correctness» that stifles people’s spontaneity.

This should not though make us despair, all of these man-made organizations are made by individuals and I believe that change is possible in this scale, as long as people dare to take risks and pay the price for their freedom.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 14, 2008
in Q&A
. 11 Comments

You have also spoken about “empty spaces.” But aren’t some inner spaces better left empty? Do you agree? How important is an understanding of the inner organisation for you as a writer and also as a human being?

Of course I do. Who doesn’t? The whole problem is not about having empty spaces, but about admitting that they exist. Today’s society is so preoccupied about coherence that many get trapped in the misconception that all is explainable. Society tries to convince us that we have to be completely transparent, not only to the world but to ourselves. There is where the danger lies. It’s necessary to admit that some things can’t be grasped, that our empty spaces exist and that we have to respect and honor the mystery.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 13, 2008
in Q&A
. 10 Comments

Is it deliberate that your novels have an underlining emphasis on “awakening of energy”? Do you have a broader objective in mind which serves as an end of your purpose?

I think, that despite all the fanaticisms, we are seeing the beginning of an era where feminine values, such as generosity and tolerance, are surfacing again. This is what I mean when I talk of this new awareness, this new awakening of certain of my characters.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 12, 2008
in Q&A
. 9 Comments

If there was a heaven and hell - as a writer what would you imagine each to be like?

I don’t think I have to imagine Heaven and Hell, there are many examples in our world that represent both.

Recently I read a very interesting book called “ The Lucifer Effect”by Philip Zimbardo. This book tells of an experiment conducted in the sixties in Standford University where students were chosen to carry out an experiment in the basement of the university. A prison was recreated and by the flip of a coin 7 students were held hostage while the other 7 students were the prison guards. The guards had absolute power over the victims (except for physical violence) and the experiment was meant to last 2 weeks. Yet, at the end of the 6th day the experiment had to be ceased - victims having nervous breakdowns. The guards, that unleashed their evil, had to go under therapy for years to come.

These normal individuals, given absolute power, started doing evil deeds, simply because they could – or didn’t do anything to avoid hell of breaking loose.

I was very impressed by this and I think that this experiment illustrates the fact that heaven and hell both dwell in our souls, just as light and darkness compose a day.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 11, 2008
in Q&A
. 6 Comments

Of all the books you have written and the characters you have created, which are the five of your favourites?

My characters are a snapshot of myself in a given moment of my life. They are the mirrors of my soul and therefore it is impossible for me to choose which one I like best.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 7, 2008
in Q&A
. 3 Comments

Your books usually are on similar subjects of alchemy, spirituality, witchcraft, magic, sexuality, still what is it that differentiates them?

When I start a new book, I try to approach myself from a different angle. In The Alchemist, for example, I was trying to explain to myself what writing meant to me. The way I found to do this was through a metaphor.

In Eleven Minutes, I started with the question of why sexuality is considered one of the major issues in life. But I had my doubts. And that’s why the hero asks if it’s true that the world could revolve around 11 minutes. I talked a lot about sexual relations in the novel, but in the end I doubt if the world really revolves around sex.

In The Zahir, on the other hand, there is a kind of a snapshot of my present moment as a famous writer. The novel is full of comments on what it means to be rich and famous, on the nature of marriage and the responsibilities of the writer.

In The Witch of Portobello I wanted to explore the feminine side of divinity, I wanted to plunge into the heart of the Great Mother.

In Brida, a book that I wrote in 1990, I plunge into the life of a woman that is trying to understand love and that has to go through many traditions, many paths of knowledge before finding her own.

All these stories, characters bare the seal of my personality, but each has its own path, its own identity.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 7, 2008
in Q&A
. 7 Comments

Why did you choose a subject like magic and witchcraft first in Witch of Portobello and now in Brida? Do you believe in things like magic and witchcraft?

Of course I do. Unfortunately the word “witch” has still many prejudices. To me, a witch is a woman that is capable of letting her intuition take hold of her actions, that communes with her environment, that isn’t afraid of facing challenges. In Brida I dive into the life of a woman that has this awareness and insatiable desire for more knowledge, more understanding of her place in this world. In The Witch of Portobello I decided to focus more on the prejudice that modern witches face in modern society.

Today’s Question by Aart Hilal

Published
by
Paulo Coelho
on August 6, 2008
in Q&A
. 5 Comments

What inspires the characterization of the protagonist especially in case of female protagonists? How much of that inspiration comes from real life?

I only allow myself to write every two years because I feel that I’ve gathered enough emotional energy to come up with a story. I never know, before sitting at my desk, if I’m going to have a female or a male voice.

All is very unpredictable. As in life, there is not always a rational explanation for certain choices. My literature is much more the result of a paradox than that of an implacable logic. The paradox is the tension that exists in my soul. Like in archery, the paradox is the bow that can be both tense and relaxed. I know that it’s important to have values in life, but I’ve always been more drawn to incoherence, because life is not static but rather like the tides, coming and going.

Real events, memories, longings, other stories - all fuse when I embark in a new story.