Director
Marcelo Gomes

This is a documentary portrait on the life and work Paulo Coelho. The Brazilian writer describes his novels as fairy tales: "My idea is to share the symbolic language of humankind - like angels and devils, dark forests, high mountains and wolves, gold and buried treasure. There is a part of everyone, whatever their cultural background, that connects with symbols and omens... it is an alphabet you develop to talk to the world's soul."

His most famous work to date The Alchemist, published in 1988, was a No 1 best seller in 29 countries. The Brazilian writer is one of the mostly widely read authors in the world today and has sold more than 32 million books, and been translated into 51 languages.
To encourage readers to use their imaginations he uses a pared-down prose, cutting down descriptions from draft to draft to "dry up the language to the maximum."

Shot on location in Brazil, Iran and Spain, and using a wealth of material to document his story, this documentary explores the many faces of an intriguing and often controversial man with an extraordinary personal history: taken to psychiatric institutions by his parents, when they first heard about his plans to become a writer; his time as a hippy with lots of sex and drugs and rock'n'roll; pop song writer and imprisoned for his mildly critical lyrics; artistic director of the CBS, fired without explanation; member of an obscure catholic sect and finally successful writer, who has hit the nerve of his audience with what have been variously described as self-help manuals, esoteric novels or spiritual guides.

The programme follows the author in his daily life and as he talks about his life and ideas, with contributions from his family and friends.