In Conversation

Between order and incoherence
NANDINI NAIR

His books explore in the mysterious and reckon with the profound. His life has been like that of both a pop star and a preacher. International bestseller Paulo Coelho is now out with his latest novel, Brida. Published by HarperCollins, it is the story of a young girl’s quest for knowledge. He unspools from his previous work and once again provides spiritual wisdom to universal concerns. A prolific writer and blogger, he has sold more than 100 million books and has been translated into 66 languages. He sneaks out time to answer a few questions on his work and beyond. Excerpts from an interview…

In your books, it is through appreciation of nature and through love that God reveals himself to humankind. Does writing, similarly, bring you closer to realisations? Considering the early struggles you had to face as

a writer, what is the place of writing in your life? [Coelho’s early commitment to literature led his father to commit him twice to a mental institution.]
I believe that the need to keep on understanding myself and questioning the world is what motivates me to write. I’m living the dream I had in my youth but I never look upon this dream as something that has an end. As long as I’m able to live, think and love, the spark will continue.

You are a committed Catholic who believes in the idea of the Virgin. How does this influence the characterisation of your female protagonists, especially Brida? Do you try to ensure that your female characters are decidedly “feminine” rather than “feminist”? And why?

I never know, before sitting at my desk, if I’m going to have a female or a male voice.
Everything is very unpredictable. As in life, there is not always a rational explanation for certain choices.

In Brida, I plunge into the life of a woman who dives into sorcery and experiments with different magical traditions. Through her life and character, I explore many themes that are dear to me, such as The Great Mother, pagan religions and the different perceptions of love.

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.

The sales of your books are naturally important to you. But you continue to retreat to your home in the Pyrenees Mountains. As an author and celebrity, how do you drown out the din of fame and tap into the creativity?

It’s interesting that you ask this question because I wrote a column about the way I felt about the release of The Witch of Portobello. I was in Lisbon, just hours before the book was released in Portugal and in Latin America. I was walking along the streets of this marvellous city thinking about the moment when the first reader would touch the book in the shelves of the bookstore. I was excited and realised that I was still able, after publishing many books, to feel exactly the same way as in the release of my first book, The Pilgrimage. Of course, with success, the dimensions change but the inner feeling of sharing my soul with others remains intact.

What are the projects you are currently working on?

O Venceder Está Só (The Winner is Alone)

Of all the books you have written and the characters you have created, do you have favourites? Which book would it be and which character?

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.