It is in this context that Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho introduces us to The Copt, a mysterious Herald who appears out of nowhere, summons the folk of the city, and spends the next few nights speaking to and with them.
At first, The Copt touches on the subject of the present, of what should really matter in this precise moment for the regular citizens. Coming to the conclusion that history will take care of telling others what happened on this day (seems he was right), he then starts discussing the difficulties people face on a daily basis.
At first, they speak of topics that are seemingly of great importance at the moment, such as victory, defeat, and who the enemy is. As the story goes on, The Copt’s discussions drift more and more into the abstract, ultimately questioning core concepts of life such as beauty, love, wisdom, control of the future, and what success really is.
First off, this isn’t a book in the traditional sense of the word, in the sense that it doesn’t really have a cookie-cutter story with events and characters. It feels a lot more like a novelized essay which aims to explore pretty much everything about life.
While it is true that this approach slightly lacks in originality, in the end, the author’s style makes this book a very interesting, and at the very least, thought-provoking read that I recommend to anyone with some time and brain energy on their hands.
 | Paulo CoelhoPersonal site Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian novelist and lyricist, sometimes known by the name of Paul Rabbit. His unusual and deeply-moving novels have made of him one of the most widely-read authors today, earning him an array of international awards, including the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. His most famous novel, The Alchemist, has been translated in over 67 languages to date. |
Don't know what part of me made me buy this one. In this book, Coelho tries to bring together the solutions to various aspects of our life, like enmity, hatred, love, loneliness, but he fails to dilate your pupils. He presents these ideas as answers to the questions asked by the people of Accra. Infact, had the book been full of cliches of our lives, it would have been a bit better. But Coelho went on his own way to write a "GOSPEL", when everyone knows that such things can only find utterance in one's own precarious state. Paulo Coelho is in the prime of his career, and it seems he has forgotten those philosophies that previously drew readers to his books.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in a precarious state, searching for purpose in life, do not read this book. Instead, go for self-help books, they are really better and will encourage you.
Or you may read Coelho's other books, but mind you, this one is a disaster.
Hey there Paheliyan, thanks for the well thought comment and I do agree with you that if a person looks to this book for actual guidance in their life, they will end up being quite disappointed. With that being said though, I don't think this was meant to be a self-help book, but rather a reflection on various life topics through the author's eyes. He isn't really trying to help us, but he's rather presenting to us his perspective, forcing the reader to use his/her own grey cells and reflect about life.
DeleteAlso, I'm a supporter of the line of thinking that books ought to be judged by their content, rather than in comparison to other books, whether or not they were written by the same author. From that point of view, I'd say the book is far from being what you qualify as a "disaster", but in the end, we all have our own thoughts and opinions, and I thank you for sharing yours and actually backing it up. I hope you'll have more fun with your next book.
-Best Regards, David