The Zahir A Novel of Obsession
Paulo CoelhoPublished2005
Pages298
Formatpaperback
PublisherHarperCollins
Synopsis
Set in Paris and in the enchanting landscape of central Asia, this new novel by the author of the international bestsellers The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes follows the journey of a man obsessed with finding the wife who left him without an explanation. The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges that money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who, despite her professional success and freedom from the conventional constraints of marriage, is facing an existential crisis. When she disappears along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover, the authorities question the narrator. Was Esther kidnapped, killed, or did she simply abandon a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers but he has plenty of questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail, the man with whom Esther was last seen, finds the narrator and promises to take him to his wife. In his attempt to recapture a love lost, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.
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About Paulo Coelho
P
Paulo Coelho
Born 1947
Paulo Coelho, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a Brazilian novelist known for employing rich symbolism in his depictions of the often spiritually motivated journeys taken by his characters. Coelho dropped out of law school in 1970 and traveled through South America, Mexico, North Africa, and Europe. In 1972 he returned home and began writing pop and rock music lyrics with Raul Seixas, a well-known Brazilian singer and songwriter. He worked for Polygram and CBS Records until 1980, when he embarked on new travels in Europe and Africa. It was during this trip that he walked the route of Santiago de Compostela, which formed the basis of his first book, *O diário de um mago* (1987), which was published in English as *The Diary of a Magus* in 1992 and was reissued as *The Pilgrimage* in 1995. In 1988 Coelho published *O alquimista* (*The Alchemist*), which ultimately became an international best-seller. His other notable works include *The Valkyries*, *Eleven Minutes*, *Manual of The Warrior of Light*, *Manuscript Found in Accra*, *The Devil and Miss Prym*, *The Fifth Mountain*, *Veronika Decides to Die*, and *The Zahir*. Source: [Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paulo-Coelho)
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