Beyond the Book
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, the city where he now lives. In 1970, after deciding that law
school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North
Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he
began a successful career as a popular songwriter. In 1974, he was
imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in
Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life:
he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in
northwestern Spain and achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening
that he later described in The Pilgrimage. For some more information about Coelho...
