APPENDICES A. Biography of Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24, 1947, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended Jesuit schools and was raised by devout Catholic parents. He determined early on that he wanted to be a writer but was discouraged by his parents, who saw no future in that profession in Brazil. Coelho's rebellious adolescence spurred his parents to commit him to a mental asylum three times, starting when he was seventeen.
the fourteenth major book by him, and touch on the theme of spirituality. It published in 2010 andwas written first in Portuguese language and translated into English by Margaret D. Costa.It has sold its rights to more than 40 languages.
All of Paulo Coelho‟ books have sold more than 130 million copies in 160
countries and have been translated into 72 languagesbestseller lists throughout the world, and scored him such celebrity fans as Julia Roberts, Bill Clinton, and Madonna.
As a youth, Coelho was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, a professional engineer. When he rebelled, expressing his intentions to become a writer, his parents had him committed to a psychiatric hospital where he was subjected to electro-shock therapy. He left home to join the 1970s countercultural revolution, experimenting with drugs, dabbling in black magic, and getting involved in Brazil's bohemian art and music scene. He teamed with rock musician Raul Seixas for an extremely successful songwriting partnership that changed the face of Brazilian pop and put a lot of money in Coelho's pockets. He also joined an anti-capitalist organization called the Alternative Society which attracted the attention of Brazil's military dictatorship. Marked down as a subversive, he was imprisoned and tortured.
mysticism. At J's urging, Coelho journeyed across el Camino de Santiago, the legendary Spanish road traversed by pilgrims since the Middle Ages. He chronicled this lifethe culmination of decades of soul-searching.
In total, Coelho has sold more than 150 million books in over 150 countries worldwide (224 territories), and his works have been translated into 80 languages. He got many In the 2009 edition of the Guiness Book of World Records, Coelho was named the most translated living author. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France's Légiond'honneur.
B. Summary of The Novel
The book loosely tells the story of several individuals: Igor, a Russian millionaire; Hamid, a Middle Eastern fashion magnate; American actress Gabriela, eager to land a leading role; ambitious criminal detective Savoy, hoping to resolve the case of his life; and Jasmine, a woman on the brink of a successful modeling career.
Igor Malevis the central character and the very subject of this book. He‟s handsome, rich, and effortlessly personable - but she left him for a successful fashion designer, a sting he's never recovered from. Igor Malev has one thing on his mind - his ex-wife Ewa.
himself to be on a „mission of love‟, a mission that requires sacrifices- murders. Set against the backdrop of glitz and glamour of the world‟s most famous film
festival, what then ensues is a tale of „extraordinary violence‟ (as the book cover
puts it), lasting just under 24 hours, revealing the evil which hides in each human soul and busting the myths associated with the world of celebrities.
So he travels to the glamorous Cannes International Film Festival where they'll be appearing, intent on winning back her love. But Igor is a man of rare intensity and cold intelligence - and this is to be no ordinary reconciliation. For Igor made a promise to destroy whole worlds to get to his beloved. Now, the conflict between an individual evil force and society emerges as the novel unfolds, and as morality is derailed.
The sole purpose of Igor is to win back his wife Ewa. He visits Cannes Film Festival with the same intention, being an extremely successful Russian telecom giant, he has no problems getting in. Ewa, the only person he loves and wants, is now married to a fashion mogul, Hamid Hussein.
The Winner Stands Alone is a book which fills the reader with impending darkness. The portrayal of the world of glamour, largely realistic, is very depressing. It is depicted as an arena in which under the glimmer of stars, what exists is deep darkness, an abyss of depression from which no return is possible. Gabriela, an aspiring and aging actress, and Jasmine, a young and wise model are the characters who are used to convey this aspect of the story, though in a very repetitive fashion. The author uses these 5 characters to narrate a story of people chasing their dreams. The development of the characters in my opinion is rather lackluster except Igor.
The best character in the book was just the character Igor Malev. He is the character, some would hate a lot, while others would try to justify his actions, though not profess them. He was a mirror for all the evil thoughts we allow and justify within ourselves. Igor displays traits of many serial killers. He quantifies his actions, however absurd and morose, in his head by thinking he is committing them for love. For him, there need not be another reason. How slowly his psyche unfolds from a billionaire on a mission to get his wife back, into a serial killer is captivating.
hugely. Though it was never supposed to be a mystery, but just a foray into a killer‟s mind, The characters besides Igor and Ewa, everyone else just seem an
add-on.
This book left a very bitter taste. This book does not offer you any hope and would rather bring you down on a bad day. Love might not be the essence of the book, but it is depicted as the underlying reason for all things evil.
