各国名人英文介绍-Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and songwriter. He was born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. In 1970, he quit law school to go travelling around South America, Africa, and Europe. He learnt much about the supernatural on his travels, which would become themes of his books. He returned to Brazil and wrote song lyrics¹ for famous Brazilian singers.

In 1986, Coelho went on a walk that would change his life. He walked the 800-kilometre Road of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, an ancient highway used for centuries by pilgrims. He said he experienced a self-awareness² and spiritual awakening³, which he wrote about in his novel ‘The Pilgrimage’. It opened up a new way of writing for him.

A year later, Coelho wrote his most famous book, ‘The Alchemist’. The book sold very slowly at first and his publisher dropped it. He found another publisher who had more faith in his writing and the book became one of the best-selling books of all time. It reached number one in 18 countries, and so far has sold 30 million copies.

Coelho is the best-selling Portuguese⁴ language author in history. His books have been translated in 67 languages. To date, Coelho has sold over 100 million novels. He was the world’s best-selling author in 2003. He spends his time writing novels and a newspaper column. He is also a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations and raises awareness of the UN’s ideals.

1 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

4 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。