Day P: Paulo Coelho- the hype

The first Coelho book I came across- The Alchemist- left me smitten. I had never read anything so positive before. When I want something, the universe conspires to help me achieve it? How beautiful! It was one of those books that I wanted so badly to finish, but was also anxious about reaching the end because then it would be over. Every page in that story left me super-inspired, to the point that, when it did get over, I had a whale's weight of positive energy in me that I didn't know what to do with. Paulo Coelho from that day became my new champion.

Then I got my hands on The Pilgrimage. There was something familiar about it, which was comforting for me from the top of my Coelho-inspired cloud.

Then I decided that I must read all the books from this newly uncovered island. So I pored over The Zahir, The Witch of Portobello, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, The Valkyries, Warrior of the Light, Brida and Eleven minutes. When this intensive period came to an end, I was sure of one thing: Once you've read one Paulo Coelho book, you've read them all.

I'm sure Coelho is a great personality, who went through many difficult periods in life before he became a superstar. His positive attitude and philosophical sayings are worth respecting. But if we look beyond the hype and all the exaggeration, does his work deserve all the attention it's receiving?

Since all his works I've read have been translated from Portugese, I am not going to comment on the language and the lack of any above-average artistic element to it. If you need to know what Coelho's all about, just read The Alchemist, because it summarizes all of his works into a simple, brief tale. Everything else is just a disorganized, messed-up version of the philosophies that came into play in it.