Paul, Paulo, Pablo II
"Life is really generous to those who pursue their destiny."
-Paulo Coelho
One of my most read author is Paulo Coelho. I don't usually read popular, mainstream novels because I think that most of the talked about books now are juvenile and overrated, but there is something about Coelho. He is like a quarter in a huge pile of nickels. He is different and his work can provide more than just the tingly, squee worthy or OMG inducing scenes offered by the too common pop books that people devour today.
Coelho, while obviously a popular mainstream author, at least does not pretend to have invented the ideas he writes about. In fact, in a book, he would talk about the same thing incessantly over and over, albeit in different ways. He writes about things we already know. He is not even a literary genius. His books can sometimes be dull. He writes about spirituality and Christianity but uses fictional elements that would make any self-respecting Catholic or conservative Christian horrified. In Brida, for instance, he basically stated that witches pray to Jesus and Mary. I was personally dismayed that he chose to go that road, and it's hard to imagine conservative Christians not feeling the same way. Heck, I'm quite positive that witches would be repulsed with such insinuation as well.
The thing with Coelho is that he is hit and miss. A lot of people loved The Alchemist, and then hated Brida or some other book of his. But it is undeniable that he is a relevant, celebrated writer, with a huge following at that. Some critics are quick to point out that his strength is his ability to write to a certain audience. That audience of people, mostly women, who look for their spirituality, or the affirmation of it, in a book. He tries hard to please everyone of his readers, sometimes a bit too hard, that he takes liberty in twisting history; perhaps hoping to make all people happy. However, his books belong to that category traversing the thin line between fiction and self-help books, hence, his "fictional" ideas injected in real life teachings can be somewhat contrary to the Christian spirituality that his body of work, as a whole, is supposed to represent.
So the lingering question is, why is he beloved? Why do I read his books? It's simple really, for all the misses, he has hits. It is his tireless passion for writing about the Christian faith and his love for the act of sharing of ideas that makes people root for him. How many mainstream writers make faith and spirituality the cornerstone of their novels? Not too many. That's why Coelho is a rarity. In this age of political correctness and bullying of the liberal media, coming across books that write about faith unapologetically and unabashedly is a refreshing breather. Some of his ideas bother me, but he is first and foremost a writer and he is entitled to his own imagination.
He also has a gift in putting words together to create quotable lines which in the web universe of shout-outs, twitter and text messages, are highly desired. I don't think I've ever gone through a day without coming across a Coelho quote. It is little things like this that make this Brazilian a force to reckon in the competitive world of writing
Although not quite like his namesake, Paul of Tarsus, whose work has unparallel influence in Christian teachings, Paulo Coelho is still an author worth reading. He believes in what we writes, I may not agree with some of them, but I respect him.
I mean, what do I know? I'm just a working-my-ass-off-lawyer, while he is a best-selling writer. It's hard to argue with success.
(to be continued)
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