3 yrs in a mental institution:
As a teenager, Coelho wanted to become a writer. Upon telling his mother this, she responded with "My dear, your father is an engineer. He's a logical, reasonable man with a very clear vision of the world. Do you actually know what it means to be a writer?"[1] After researching, Coelho concluded that a writer "always wears glasses and never combs his hair" and has a "duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation," amongst other things. At 17, Coelho's introversion and opposition to follow a traditional path led to his parents committing him to a mental institution from which he escaped three times before being released at the age of 20. Coelho later remarked that "It wasn't that they wanted to hurt me, but they didn't know what to do... They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me.
his website:
http://www.paulocoelho.com/engl/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho
Quotes from Coelho:
When you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you realize your desires.
the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. And no heart ever suffered when it went in search of its dreams.
- posted on 09/28/2009
creative process
By Paulo Coelho
All creative processes, be they in literature, engineering, computing - and even in love - always respect the same rules: the cycle of nature. Here is a list of the stages along this process:
a] ploughing the field: the moment the soil is turned, oxygen penetrates places it was unable to previously. The field gets a fresh look, the earth which was on top is now below, and that which was underneath has come to the surface. This process of interior revolution is very important - because, just as the field’s new look will see sunlight for the first time, and be dazzled by it, a new assessment of our values will allow us to see life innocently, without ingenuity. Thus we will be prepared for the miracle of inspiration. A good creator must know how to continually turn over his values, and never be content with that which he believes he understands.
b] sowing: all work is the fruit of contact with life. A creative man cannot lock himself in an ivory tower; he must be in contact with his fellow men, and share his human condition. He never knows, at the outset, which things will be important to him in the future, so the more intense his life is, the more possibilities he will create for an original language. Le Corbusier said that: as long as man tried to fly by imitating birds, he couldn’t succeed. The same applies to the artist: although he translates emotions, the language he is translating is not fully understood by him, and if he tries to imitate or control his inspiration, he will never obtain that which he desires. He must allow his life to sow the fertile soil of his unconscious.
c] growth: there is a time in which the work writes itself, freely, at the bottom of the author’s soul - before it dares show itself. In the case of literature, for example, the book influences the writer, and vice versa. It is this moment which the Brazilian poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade refers to, when he states that we should never try to recover lost verses, for they never deserved to see the light of day. I know people who, during a growth period, spend their whole time furiously taking notes on everything which comes into their head, without respecting that which is being written in the unconscious. The result is that the notes, which are the fruit of memory, end up disturbing the fruit of inspiration. The creator must respect the time of gestation, although he knows - just like the farmer - that he is only partially in control of his field; it is subject to drought and floods. But if he knows how to wait, the stronger plants, which can resist bad weather, will come to light with great force.
d] the harvest: the moment when man manifests on a conscious plane that which he sowed and allowed to grow. If he harvests early, the fruit is green, if he harvests late, the fruit is rotten. Every artist recognizes the arrival of this moment; although some aspects may not have matured fully, some ideas not be crystal clear, they reorganize themselves as the work is produced. Without fear and with great discipline, he understands that he must work from dawn to dusk, until the work is finished.
And what to do with the results of the harvest? Again, we look to Mother Nature: she shares everything with everyone. An artist who wishes to keep his work to himself, is not being fair with that which he received from the present moment, nor with the inheritance and teachings of his forefathers. If we leave the grain stored in the granary, it will go bad, even though it was harvested at the right time. When the harvest is over, the time comes to share, without fear or shame, your own soul.
That is the artist’s mission, however painful or glorious. - Re: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, author of Alchemistposted on 09/28/2009
前几天慕名看了这位老兄的另一本名著:《by the river piedra i sat down and wept》,很擂人,我就不专门推荐了,免得有人骂我浪费生命:)
- Re: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, author of Alchemistposted on 09/29/2009
Did you read Alchemist? what do you think of it? several people mentioned it.. I guess at least it is a good self-help book....at least better than Harry Potter...
老瓦 wrote:
前几天慕名看了这位老兄的另一本名著:《by the river piedra i sat down and wept》,很擂人,我就不专门推荐了,免得有人骂我浪费生命:)
- Re: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, author of Alchemistposted on 10/01/2009
我今年夏天看了Alchemist, 很薄的小册子。 感觉就像程式化的说教。我不喜欢。 比Harry Potter差远了。 - Re: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, author of Alchemistposted on 10/01/2009
Connie wrote:
我今年夏天看了Alchemist, 很薄的小册子。 感觉就像程式化的说教。我不喜欢。 比Harry Potter差远了。
我前天还跟人提起,这哥们的文笔就是初二水平,从句写来都不超过两行字。他的书,如果用一个词来总结,就是“圣经辅导教材”,专门供那些有意信神、却又嫌念经枯燥的人士阅读。从这一点想来,也就不难解释为啥是专门打榜的“畅销书”了。 - Re: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, author of Alchemistposted on 10/01/2009
Thumbed through it last night in the bookstore, agree with Woa and Connie. Bought Marquez's "Memories of my melancholy whores" instead.
Felt very depressed and lonely after checking out all the latest "best-sellers". A sense of "End of the World"uprush to my chest. Also checked a couple of local "art" galleries, can not stop feeling hopelessness. - posted on 10/01/2009
在路边不经意买的《Alchemist》一口气读完,觉得是很好的一本书。如果事先知道是“畅销书”,也许会跟老瓦一样眼角高起来。:-)
不会从文学成就的角度去看一本书,但凡一本书我读得进,对我就是一本好书。遇到一本书,读得一本书,对我而言,是缘分。
老瓦 wrote:
我前天还跟人提起,这哥们的文笔就是初二水平,从句写来都不超过两行字。他的书,如果用一个词来总结,就是“圣经辅导教材”,专门供那些有意信神、却又嫌念经枯燥的人士阅读。从这一点想来,也就不难解释为啥是专门打榜的“畅销书”了。 - posted on 10/24/2009
被人鼓动着读了几页,我的老天!这样糟糕的书,这样糟糕的辅导教材!比教会免费发送的那些好不到哪里去。
这样的世界能不让人灰心吗,耶稣,你在哪里啊?
老瓦 wrote:
Connie wrote:我前天还跟人提起,这哥们的文笔就是初二水平,从句写来都不超过两行字。他的书,如果用一个词来总结,就是“圣经辅导教材”,专门供那些有意信神、却又嫌念经枯燥的人士阅读。从这一点想来,也就不难解释为啥是专门打榜的“畅销书”了。
我今年夏天看了Alchemist, 很薄的小册子。 感觉就像程式化的说教。我不喜欢。 比Harry Potter差远了。
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