The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
The author of The Alchemist returns with an enlightening read
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Friday, 11, Apr 2008 12:38
Harper Collins, out now, hardback, 297 pages, £14.99.
In a nutshell...
Enlightenment comes at a price
What's it all about?
Athena, real name Sherine Khalil, was loved and loathed equally by those who knew her; an enigmatic and at times erratic entity on a journey of self-realisation, she never failed to have a profound impact on those she came into contact with during her short life, for better or worse.
After she is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, journalist and devoted disciple Heron Ryan sets about cataloguing the accounts of what it meant to live alongside Portobello's priestess, as told by friends, family, pupils, mentors, disciples and sceptics.
Who's it by?
Brazilian-born spiritual guru Paulo Coelho. Over the past 20 years, Coelho has inspired millions of readers worldwide with his tales of esoteric enlightenment. In doing so, he has won much critical acclaim and has received many accolades recognising his inimitable contribution to 20th century literature.
The Alchemist is probably his best known work, but Coelho has authored many more best-selling novels as well as making significant contributions to music and journalism over the years.
Defying his parents and pursuing his dream of being a writer from a young age, Coelho's personal history portrays an image of a man almost as ethereal as his much loved characters; a prophet with a legion of fans all over the world, his effect on the literary canon has been mercurial.
As an example...
"I may have two names, but I am only one - or else all the people in the world. And that is precisely what I want to talk about. Because I am one and everyone, the spark that emerges when I go into a trance gives me very precise instructions. I remain semi-conscious throughout, of course, but I'm saying things that come from an unknown part of myself, as if I were suckling on the breast of the Mother, drinking the milk that flows through all our souls and carries knowledge around the Earth. Last week, which was the first time I entered into contact with this new form, I received what seemed to me to be an absurd message: that I should teach you."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
There are probably those that would want to try, but the danger is that the fragile subtlety that makes this book work would not survive the transfer to film. One of the attractive things about Coelho's work is that it forces the reader to engage directly with the lessons of the characters in order to make it believable on a subjective, personal level. In allowing people the luxury of passivity, the medium of film is not well-suited to involving people in this way without resorting to overstatement and explicit instruction. If it does become a film, it will take talented directorship to create a comparable effect.
What the others say
"Filled with Coelho's recurring themes - spirituality, destiny, freedom - this is a riveting and inspiring read." - Belfast Telegraph
"His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people." - Times
"One of the few to deserve the term 'Publishing Phenomenon'." - Independent on Sunday
So is it any good?
Yes, precisely because Coelho largely manages to avoid didacticism and create a novel that stands on its own as an engaging piece of literature, without asserting too heavily that the spiritual journey pursued by Athena should be embraced by the reader.
Furthering this, the innovative narratological structure adds depth to the novel and serves to create a symposium of the 'idea' of Athena, allowing the reader to gauge their own reaction to her development against the pluralistic viewpoints of those telling her story. However, this isn't flawless and one or two characters - the overhead-obsessed bank manager for example - lack the idiosyncratic depth necessary to make them truly believable.
A well executed novel that will sate fans and seduce sceptics.
8.5/10
Mark Burton