Today’s Question by Aart Hilal
What does it mean to be famous and what sentiments accompany that? Has the success changed you?
For a writer, to be famous is very abstract, because he does not have a direct contact with the readers. Therefore, the only visible change is that I know that several doors are open, and I have to choose the good ones. For example, I choose to participate on the Rainbow Project, sponsored by the First Lady of Poland, as I choose to engage myself into a Unesco program that tries to create a bridge between different cultures. I also created the Paulo Coelho Institute, which takes care of 430 children in Rio de Janeiro. If you understand Saint Paul’s motto “sic transit gloria mundi” (the glory of the world is transitory) you may do your best to use the success as a tool, not as an end itself.
