Paulo Coelho: social alchemist

The Brazilian author whose book “The Alchemist” has been read by half a billion people, is used to overcoming challenges: Now he wants to inspire a cultural revolution among millions of Twitter devotees.

By Steven MacKenzie, Contributing Writer

Speaking from Geneva, Paulo Coelho’s voice resonates with mystical wisdom, though the divine reverberations could be attributed to the echo in his “minimalist” office, furnished only with, “my computer, my bow, my arrows…”

Bow and arrows? “My way of meditating is archery,” he explains. “I cannot sit down. I need action!” And in case of intruders? “Also.”

Any intruders would only be clamoring for a hug from the Brazilian author of “The Alchemist,” the life-affirming fable of a shepherd from Andalusia chasing his dreams across the Sahara. The book has been read by more than half a billion people worldwide, and it turned Coelho into a beacon of spiritual enlightenment, inspiring more than the devotional following of over two million followers on Twitter and 6.6 million fans on Facebook.

No living author, bar Dan Brown, has sold more copies of a single title, and notable fans include Bill Clinton and Vladimir Putin, who demanded a private audience with Coelho in 2006 while the author was traveling across Russia on the Tran-Siberian Railway. “We spent two hours talking,” Coelho says. “Of course, I’m not going to tell you what we talked about!”

Extra! Extra!

Summer is fleeting so get outside and enjoy the fresh air and good company. You’ll find all that along with the city’s finest alternative newspaper in the company of your friendly neighborhood Street Roots vendor. The men and women of the press will be out and about Friday morning with the latest edition. Here’s what’s coming your way:

Paulo Coelho: social alchemist: In this conversation with the best selling author of “The Alchemist,” read how Coelho is trying to inspire a cultural revolution among his millions of Twitter devotees.

The ties that bind: Portland’s Brooke Anderson writes of her journey into an unlikely friendship with a man on death row. It has been a profound experience that has given this pen pal a fresh perspective on life.

Jill Stein wants to Occupy the Oval Office: An interview with the Green Party presidential candidate who talks about third party potential and the influence of Occupy in her politics.

Bursting the bubble: A conversation with “On the Media” host Brooke Gladstone about her new graphic novel and what she really thinks of our relationship with the news.

Plus so much more, including a review of a new book about Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day, and commentary from Dr. Samuel Metz on health care reform and from the Partnership for Safety and Justice. And of course, poetry, art and a horoscope to look forward to! Pick up your copy first thing Friday morning and your weekend will be off to a fantastic start! Thank you!