Paulo Coelho

The most widely published Brazilian author of all time, Paulo Coelho

has sold close to 100 million copies of his books and has also been a

theater director, an actor, a songwriter, and a journalist.

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When Paulo Coelho told his parents he wanted to be a writer, they thought he was crazy -
literally. The Brazilian teenager’s parents had him committed to an insane asylum!
Paulo escaped three times before he was finally released and ready to follow a more
normal path through life. He then enrolled in law school, as his parents desired.
But his creative instinct was too strong to be locked away, either behind bars or inside his
own life. He had to break free. So Paulo dropped out of school, became a hippie, and
traveled around Brazil looking for his inspiration. He found it through music and started
writing amazing, strange, and wonderful songs. Soon, Paulo Coelho’s work was being
recorded by some of the biggest singing stars in Brazil.
Unfortunately, the oppressive military government at that time thought his songs were
too subversive because they talked about freedom and defying authority. Coelho was
arrested and tortured for his beliefs.
However, nothing would stop him from using his creative powers. Years after his release,
Coelho went for a walk - a 500-mile walk along a road in northern Spain.
He used the time to reflect on his life, and he came to the realization that he still wanted
to be a writer.