About the Book: Originally published in Portuguese on the 17th of April, 2018, Hippie emerged as one of the most autobiographical novels by Paulo Coelho. Through the ‘Hippie’, Paulo gives us a glimpse of his life during the psychotropic era, the 60s, and 70s.
Synopses: “If you want to learn about yourself, start by exploring the world around you”- Paulo was a young Brazilian with the desire of becoming a writer. ‘Hippie’ is the story of this fresh mind in search of the inner and deeper meanings that life has to offer. With his destination tuned to the ‘center of the World’, Paulo sets off on his journey.
Destiny has much more in store for him. Karla, a Dutch, with aspirations of seeing the world from a different perspective comes into the scene. She had been waiting for the right companion to accompany her on a bus trip to Katmandu from Holland. Having convinced her companion, Paulo, along the hippie trail they went in search of inner truth.
The ‘Magic Bus’ as it was known, had 20 passengers in her, each having a different backstory to narrate. “I’m the world. I carry with me the wisdom of those who’ve come before me and left their mark in my genes. I’m my dreams”. As they travel together a new path opens up in them, shining a light on newer dreams. Choices had to be made, which of course remains untold until the end.
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About the Author: Paulo Coelho, the author of the bestseller The Alchemist, is a Brazilian novelist cum lyricist. He spins his novels with a hodgepodge of insights taken from his own life. Most of his literary works have been translated into over eighty-one languages. Of all his books, the bestseller The Alchemist, which had sold more than 85 million copies, was quoted as ‘inspirational’ by prominent figures. He was titled the ‘UN Messenger of Peace in the year 2007.
Also Read: Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
Summary:
Title: Hippie
Publisher: Penguin Books
Goodreads rating: 3.6/5
My Verdict: “We don’t choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we react to them.” Hippie, unlike his other books, loops mostly around experiences from the author’s life. The story is narrated from a third-person perspective. Every flip through the book reveals that it is nothing less than a “literary travelogue”. Paulo masqueraded as a young skinny Brazilian, transports his readers to a bold and vibrant era of hippies. Being an avid Paulo Coelho reader, I personally missed the fairy dust of inspiration throughout the book. Even so, the book succeeded to stand out from the rest of his novels, and to an extent in giving us a glimpse into his experiences. Flipping through the pages of ‘Hippie’, I could easily let my mind go footloose rather than buckling it to the rectos as convention demands! I had laid my hands on the translated (English) version, which I would rate, a 3.5 on 5.
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