Paulo Coelho, our imperfect but beloved Warrior

Coelho is so deeply in touch with his humanity that he has admitted (in The Zahir)that he became a writer because it got him the ladies. Now this is truly profound. Not just because his writing can get him so many ladies (I blushingly include moi meme), not only because he can admit this to himself and to others, but because the ladies come not for muscles or money, but because they believe he can understand their minds, their bodies, their souls, perhaps more than their mothers, and certainly, more than their fathers and boyfriends. With Coelho, one reads a book and feels more clarity in their own lives, more responsibility for their own actions. Imagine that! Here our 'New York' novelists (or alternatively, our action-screenplay-tritely romantic writers) would have us believe there is nothing new under the sun to write about, and that we should all be depressed over it (or alternatively, that we should marry rich husbands, or alternatively, that we should spend our lives with guns in hand chasing losers rather than embracing ourselves). Instead, an author like Coelho teaches us that we are each, individually, new under the suns and stars of our own selection. We are worth taking the risks, experiencing the pain, and accepting the vast responsibility and gift (yes, he reminds us our lives are gifts, I think this is something beautiful if hard for the overeducated student of culture to accept or admit) that comes with a well-lived journey on earth. His books, some more clearly than others, are roadmaps for our existence. You might ask why Paulo Coelho, instead of a seer, a guru, a therapist, or a parent, has taken this position of guide. Quite simply, it is because he believes deeply in the power of literature to move people on a path, and to help them clarify which paths they would like to follow. Too, he helps them to see their 'mistakes' as part of a vital, growing process. And finally, he has made his life a self-conscious journey, a creative and magnificent journey, in search of the truth.