The Guardian interview
The Guardian: Some people see you as a guru. Do you accept that?
Paulo Coelho: Of course not.
The Guardian: Is it flattering?
Paulo Coelho: No. It’s totally out of reality.
The Guardian: Are you a political writer?
Paulo Coelho: Everybody is a political person, whether you say something or you are silent. A political attitude is not whether you go to parliament, it’s how you deal with your life, with your surroundings. I am at least giving the readers the sense they are not alone. But instead of trying to answer the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I try to give some meaning to my life.
The Guardian: When you were 17 your parents had you committed to an asylum.
Paulo Coelho: Yes, three times, and also I was in jail three times, but I never saw myself as a victim. This is part of my journey. My parents wanted me to follow their dreams, not my dreams, and the simple fact that I didn’t accept that does not make me a criminal or an outcast. I thought, “One day I will write about it,” and I did. I wrote Veronica Decides to Die, and the book was about this: accept your differences and this is how you make a difference.
You can listen 3 minutes of the interview by clicking here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2009/mar/19/paulo-coelho-question-time
Or you can read the whole interview by clicking here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/mar/19/paulo-coelho-interview
Paulo Coelho: Of course not.
The Guardian: Is it flattering?
Paulo Coelho: No. It’s totally out of reality.
The Guardian: Are you a political writer?
Paulo Coelho: Everybody is a political person, whether you say something or you are silent. A political attitude is not whether you go to parliament, it’s how you deal with your life, with your surroundings. I am at least giving the readers the sense they are not alone. But instead of trying to answer the question, “What is the meaning of life?” I try to give some meaning to my life.
The Guardian: When you were 17 your parents had you committed to an asylum.
Paulo Coelho: Yes, three times, and also I was in jail three times, but I never saw myself as a victim. This is part of my journey. My parents wanted me to follow their dreams, not my dreams, and the simple fact that I didn’t accept that does not make me a criminal or an outcast. I thought, “One day I will write about it,” and I did. I wrote Veronica Decides to Die, and the book was about this: accept your differences and this is how you make a difference.
You can listen 3 minutes of the interview by clicking here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2009/mar/19/paulo-coelho-question-time
Or you can read the whole interview by clicking here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/mar/19/paulo-coelho-interview