Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life (32 page)

Paulo’s visit to Dachau concentration camp in 1982 saw his birth as an author.

Nandor Glid’s bronze memorial at the camp.

The cover of
Arquivos do Inferno
featured Paulo with Christina and his old Crowleyite colleague Stella, 1982. The preface was by ‘Andy Wharol’, who never read the book.

Béla Lugosi on the cover of
Manual Prático do Vampirismo
, 1985. Though credited as the main author, Paulo didn’t write a single word and persuaded a friend to produce his chapters.

Paulo asked the I Ching in 1988 how to ensure 100,000 sales of
The Alchemist
. The oracle replied, ‘The great man brings good luck.’

Paulo in Egypt in 1987. The trip would provide inspiration for
The Alchemist
.

Paulo and Christina in the Mojave desert in 1988, where they practised the spiritual exercises of St Ignatius Loyola.

Paulo cemented an image of Our Lady of Aparecida in a grotto in Glorieta Canyon, New Mexico, writing a message in the wet mortar beneath it. The image was subsequently stolen.

The cartoon that appeared in
Jornal do Brasil
, 1993. According to the accompanying article, putting books by Paulo on the school curriculum would make students more stupid.

Jacques Chirac congratulates Paulo at the Paris Expo convention centre in 1998, after he had been ignored by the official Brazilian delegation. Brazilian First Lady Ruth Cardoso looks on.

Paulo takes a photo of himself in the hotel bathroom, wearing the Légion d’Honneur with which he has just been decorated by the French president in 1999.