Product Description

'The Zahir', Paulo Coelho's new novel available in paperback for the first time, incorporates exclusive new content including an extra section containing interviews with Paulo and plenty of information for those for whom the book just wasn't enough. It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession. One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified -- and increasingly fascinated -- by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts. His search for her -- and for the truth of his own life -- takes him from France to Spain, Croatia and, eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it takes him from the safety of his world to a totally unknown path, searching for a new understanding of the nature of love and the power of destiny. With 'The Zahir', Paulo Coelho demonstrates his powerful and captivating storytelling.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14920 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
'Coelho's writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts! he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.' DAILY EXPRESS 'His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.' TIMES 'One of the few to deserve the term "Publishing Phenomenon".' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Coelho's talent to inspire his readers with wisdom and hope ! is as strong as ever. There is a forgiving kindness and humanity that is unmistakeable and tremendously appealing.' DAILY MAIL 'It's like music, really, the way he writes, it's so beautiful. It's a gift that I envy above all others.' JULIA ROBERTS

From the Author
What is the central idea behind The Zahir?
That the unexpected happens, and that we’re not always prepared for it. When everything in our life appears to be organised, that is the danger-point, because what we call "organisation" is really just a story we’ve been told, but it’s not a story that can be sustained. I try to explore the story we haven’t been told, taking as my main character a successful writer who, when his wife suddenly leaves him, is forced to reassess his life. However, instead of taking a step forward and discovering new opportunities, he becomes obsessed by the question: "Why did my wife leave me?" and that turns into his Zahir.
What is a Zahir?
According to the writer Jorge Luis Borges, the idea of the Zahir comes from the Islamic tradition and probably arose in the eighteenth century. In Arabic "zahir" means "visible", "present", "incapable of going unnoticed". It can refer to an object or a person, and that object or person gradually takes over our every thought, until we are unable to think of anything else. This could be considered a state of holiness or a state of madness.
The Zahir can be a person, a job, an objective, but the attempt to possess or achieve it never brings us happiness, instead, it becomes an unhealthy obsession. Unfortunately, this is an experience everyone goes through.
Can a person have more than one Zahir in their life?
As frustrations accumulate, Zahirs appear. That way, we don’t think about how to solve the problem, instead we become fixated on its image.
It’s one thing to follow our dreams and to believe in the signs that guide us on our way. Then we have a goal to aim at, but we also enjoy the journey. With a Zahir we don’t get that same feeling of joy with every step we take, only the stubborn desire to get what we believe to be necessary for us to live.

About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and loved authors in the world. Especially renowned for The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes, he has sold more than 85 million books worldwide and has been translated into 63 languages. The recipient of numerous prestigious international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France's Legion d'Honneur, Paulo Coelho was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. He writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world.

Customer Reviews

Confused but yet content.
I am a huge fan of Coelho's work and wait with baited breath for the for his latest book to be published. I don't mind admiting that I have even asked friends of mine, fluent in Coelho's native tongue, to read me the books that have not yet been published in English. However, the Zahir has left me feeling troubled, and not because I did not enjoy his work, but because yet again Coelho has made me reach into my soul and take a deeper look at my life. I was 19 when i first read the Alchemist, and now seven years on I feel that that same sense of confusion that I did in my teenage years. Yet finally i feel content because The Zahir, explains so clearly that to feel this way is the best way to live life. Paulo manages to explain through his own personal loss and gain what Gilbran tried to explain in his love letters. I truely believe that only by trying to make sense of all of the bad times can you truely apreciate the great. This book had touched my heart and further opened my eyes to the world around me. Paulo Coelho I thank you from the depths of my soul for helping my on the journey to get rid myself of the pain of the past. if like me you ever become feel just that little lost, I suggest that you take time to read The Zahir

3 and a half stars really. .
I have been a fan of Paulo Coelho for ages and was really looking forward to the release of this novel. I have always loved his books and what they uncover, however, now that I have read it, I am not sure whether I enjoyed it or not.

The story is about a successful author discovering that his wife, who works as a war journalist, has disappeared without trace. Has something terrible happened to her, or has she simply walked out of his life without first giving him a reason? He seems to be unable (or unwilling) to believe the latter, as it was this very woman who encouraged him to write in the first place. However, there is a particular man who seems to know more about his wife than he does, and it is through the help of this man that the author goes on a journey of his own to find his wife again. .
The title of the book itself, The Zahir, comes from a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. It is meant to come from Islamic tradition and it means visible, present and incapable of going unnoticed. Anything can become the zahir, and once a person comes into contact with it, it is all they can think about. In Coelho's novel, the wife of the author becomes his zahir, and she is all he can think about since she went.

Coelho examines the very meaning of what it is to be human in this novel, especially in regards to a human in love. Love and obsession are often quite similar, and both can be just as destructive as the other. This, I think, is the essence of what Coelho is trying to put across to his readers in his latest offering. The fact that the main protagonist doesn't have a name applied to him makes you wonder whether this novel is coming from a very personal space of Coelho's soul. It made me wonder as I was reading, is he trying to say that although he has been regarded as a popular and very successful writer on spirituality for years, he is just human underneath it all, and like anyone, he is just as likely to unconciously neglect a person he loves as he develops his own life/career?

It has been a few days now since I finished the book, and although I have thought about it, I am not completely sure why I didn't enjoy this offering as much as his previous books. Maybe my expectation was so great I was bound to be disappointed. Maybe a second reading would make me see things a different way, and I could appreciate it more. Die hard fans of Coelho will probably enjoy it, but I suggest if you are new to his work begin with THE ALCHEMIST, VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE, or BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT.

It actually made me angry...
I have really liked Coelho's book but this was a real let-down. The incessant spirituality, the pretentious idea of 'love' and energy began to infuriate me. It's a real shame because the first few chapters of the book I felt a real empathy with the character and was gripped by it but then I became less absorbed and more annoyed and frustrated by the ideas of how we understand love.

For me, it felt like the definition of love given within this book was exclusive, limited and elitist. To only be able to understand love by meeting a set of criteria and another person's ideals infuriates me and the latter tone of the book I found pretentious and actually felt more and more alienated from what he was trying to achieve. Added to this unlikeable and weak characters - it did nothing for me.

This could have been much, much more...