He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Coelho attended law school there but abandoned his studies in 1970 to travel throughout Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, as well as Europe and North Africa.
Two years later he returned to Brazil and began composing popular music lyrics. He was imprisonment briefly in 1974 for alleged subversive activities against the Brazilian government.
He has sold over 20 million books world-wide and has been translated into 38 languages. He has received numerous literary awards from a variety of countries, including a nomination for the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Veronika Decides to Die.
His other novels include The Alchemist which sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages. In addition he has written written The Pilgrimage, which was the basis for a computer game, developed by the Arxel Tribe, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, and The Valkyries.
His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of countries as diverse as Brazil, Great Britain, the USA, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Greece.
He and his wife Christina live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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