PAULO COELHO Q&A
How would you sum up the central theme of your latest novel The Witch of Portobello?
It's difficult to sum up a book, but I would say that it revolves around the awakening of the female energy in both men and women.
Is there something new in this novel that you haven't done before?
The style is different: it is made of testimonies from people that got to know the main character, Athena. Also, it's the first time that a main character of mine has a child. This is the first novel where children appear.
Do you believe in witches?
Of course I do. Unfortunately the word 'witch' has still many prejudices. To me, a witch is a woman that is capable of letting her intuition take hold of her actions, that communes with her environment, that isn't afraid of facing challenges. In my latest novel, I precisely talk about the prejudice that modern witches face in modern society.
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Acclaimed Brazillian novelist Paulo Coelho is releasing his new book next month, and we’ve got three signed copies up for grabs in our great competition. Author of international bestsellers The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes and The Zahir and one of the world’s best-loved story tellers, Paulo Coelho is back with a gripping and intriguing new novel, The Witch of Portobello. Charting the disappearance of Athena, the novel is pieced together through interviews with those who knew her well, her friends, lovers, parents and those acquaintances who hardly knew her at all, weaving through Romania and Beirut to London, where her life takes a dramatic turn… The novel is published in hardback on April 16th 2007. However, in an unprecedented twist on the traditional serialisation of popular novels by Charles Dickens et al, which enabled all people to have access to literature, Paulo Coelho has decided to publish the first seven chapters of The Witch of Portobello on his English language blog. Through this controversial decision, Paulo is giving universal and free access to his work, a decision which is especially significant in those countries where his novels have been previously banned. Further embracing the expanding digital landscape, Paulo Coelho has created a forum on his blog where his readers can meet to discuss his books and ideas, follow his literary and physical journeys, view snapshots from his life and get an exclusive insight into his thoughts.
 Taking advantage of the virtual world where everyone is included, Paulo has emphatically entered into the debate on literature online…and now you can join him. And once you've had your appetite for great literature whetted with the sample chapters, why not enter our competition to win one of three signed copies of the hardback edition of The Witch of Portobello. For your chance to win, just answer this simple question: What nationality is Paulo Coelho?
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