the black lullaby

By Paulo I mean the author – Paulo Coelho.

About three years ago my and my friends in office were having a chillout session while we were brainstorming over some ideas and suddenly the topic switched to books. One of my friends then announced that she was reading “Veronica Decides to Die” and we all laughed because we thought the title was quite funny and you know how people can on about stuff like that right?

Anyway, after having read Veronica Decides to Die, my friend then moved on to read yet another book by the same author titled “Eleven Minutes” and she loved that one too. She explained to me in great detail the simplicity of the written style and I was quite intrigued. She then got online and did research on the author himself and that kinda got me to thinking that he must be different to the Sheldons and Grisms of this world.

I was then told that the author’s name was Paulo Coelho. Then just last year while I was in Singapore, I picked up Eleven Minutes and began reading it. The impact it had on me was so great that the next time my mom was heading out of the country I gave her a list of all his other books that I wanted.

The beauty of it is that he takes the reader on such a soul searching journey and where it leaves you when you’re done is so amazing. Through his words he broadens your perspective on life and helps you see things in a different point of view. Even a man covered in sin has a life worth explaning for Coelho and that is what gets you at the end of it.

If you haven’t read his books yet then you should and each of them are categorized into his journey of finding that bit of salvation that you and I crave for on this earth. He encourages you to experience the following with each book that you spend time with…

Wisdom – The Alchemist

Humility – The Pilgrimage

Hope – The Valkyries

Forgiveness – By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Faith – The Fifth Mountain

Redemption – Veronika Decides to Die

Courage – Warrior of Light

Love – Eleven Minutes

Obsession – The Zahir

Temptation – The Devil and Miss Prym

At present I am reading The Zahir and it’s like nothing I’ve read before. The way he defines the human soul and what it’s meant for is so beautiful. So if any of you do have the time, pick one up and escape into… wherever it is that you want to.

B.