Coelho all over again...

Paulo Coelho is by far one of my favourite writers. I listen to the audio book of his Alchemist before I go to bed (and sometimes leave it on when I'm sleeping too), you can find at least one of his books lying around my place, or hidden in my purse, or in my car, and I tend to mention Coelho's works to everyone I meet, including strangers.

But recently, I feel as if I've discovered a new Coelho... or at least this is new to me. Today, I finally finished A Orillas Del Rio Piedra Me Sente Y Llore (I Sat by the River Piedra and Wept). When I say "finally", it is not because the book itself was long or that I didn't make time for it. In fact, I spent more time reading and decoding this book than most others.

This is because I read the Spanish "version" of the book, which I suspect is how it was originally written, or maybe it was written in the very close Portuguese. I am sure that somewhere, a few years ago, I read this book in English, but I don't remember much of it. Maybe it was not the right time in my life for its lessons, or I was just not ready for it back then. But it didn't seem to leave a huge impression on me. But the same book in Spanish? Wow! It is truly something else. Each phrase seems more poetic, the scenes more dramatic, and the messages much more profound than in its English counterpart.

This depth that I FELT suprised and amazed me. The Spanish words and meanings captivated my attention, and yes, don't worry, I made sure to translate every single sentence before moving on to the next page. In fact, for the past few weeks, I've taken my Spanish- English dictionary with me wherever I went to read the book. Pencil lines, circles and word translations and reminders fill each page. This was my way to help me remember the new vocabulary I was trying to soak up. And on sections that I was unsure about, I asked a friend, or even a stranger near me who spoke Spanish, to make sure the meaning was not getting lost in translation. But I think that this is the point- reading the book in Spanish made me feel as if I surrounded myself with the true and real words that Coelho was trying to impart on his readers. And maybe reading it in English, or any another language other than Spanish (or his native Portuguese?), actually causes some of his words to get lost in translation?

Can you imagine? Any of you who have read Coelho's books in English know how admirable his writing is, but what if all his work is even better in Spanish? They are the same stories, the same overall messages, but in Spanish this book seems to be taken to another level. And I think as a writer- a lover of words and images created through words- I am so excited by this and the thought of reading more by Coelho... en espanol!

And I think reading this in Spanish gave me a greater appreciation for the English version as it connected me to the story and characters much more.

In this novel, Pilar (the main character) takes a journey not just from one place to another, but within herself, through laughter, through sorrow, through confusion, paradise- within her head, her heart, her soul... and with her childhood friend, whom she also discovers is her true love. They teach and learn from each other about the passion, truth, complications, simplicities and spirituality of love.

I felt as if I was taking my own journey, through the scenes and lessons in the story, but also through my developing a better understanding of Spanish through Coelho's mastery of language.

Some of my favourite lines (Note: I haven't been able to figure out how to insert accent marks into blogger, so excuse the missing accents in some of the following Spanish words):

• "...escuchar el corazon, a entender sus instintos."- (Listen to your heart and instincts).


• "Los milagros suceden a nuestro alrededor, las senales de Dios nos muestran el camino, los angeles piden ser oidos...; sin embargo, como aprendemos que existen formulas y reglas para llegar hasta Dios, no prestamos atencion a nada de eso. No entendemos que El esta donde Le dejan entrar. " (Miracles happen all around us....We don't underestand that God is where we allow him to enter).


• "Y en el amor no existen reglas. Podemos intentar guiarnos por un manual, controlar el corazon, tener una estrategia de comportamiento... Pero todo eso es una tonteria. Quien decide es el corazon, y lo que el decide es lo que vale." - (There are no rules in love. Who decides is the heart, and what it decides is what matters, what has value).


• "si escuchamos al nino que tenemos en el alma, nuestros ojos volveran a brillar. Si no perdemos el contacto con ese nino, no perderemos el contacto con la vida."- (Listen to your inner child. If you don't lose contact with him, you'll never lose contact with life).


• "habia muchas maneras de servir a Dios"- (There are many ways to serve God).


• "Se que el amor volvio, bajo la forma de un nuevo hombre, de nuevas esperanzas, de nuevos suenos." - (Love returns under the form of a new man, new hopes and dreams).


• "Dios es el mismo, aunque tenga mil nombres; pero tienes que escoger un nombre para llamarlo." (God is the same though he has many names. But you have to choose the name you want to call Him).
  

(For brevity, I've paraphrased each quote. Feel free to add comments if you'd like more details or any more of quotes from the book. I have a bigger list!).

Not only did Coelho once again teach me more about myself and that crazy thing called love, but I think he has also became unos de mis maestros de Espanol through his literature. All I want to do is read more, especially Spanish literature that is as deep and as thoughtful as Coelho's. Muchas gracias, Coelho!