The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession

Paulo Coelho

Oct 2009 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

“Superabundant talent, stunning originality, an elegant way with words… The Zahir is something more.”

-- Los Angeles Times

The narrator of The Zahr is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.

Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape 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 finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

A haunting and redemptive story about obsession, The Zahir explores its potential to fulfill our dreams, and to destroy them.

Ratings and reviews

This book is "The zahir". I mean , you just can't forget it once you have caught hold of it. Beautifully written.Artistically crafted. No cluttering of ideas or emotions,Paulo has once again focused on very few simplistic ideals and effectively conveyed it. If you are a philosophy lover,you just can't resist this :)

Waste of my life spent reading this trash.

Loved it!!

About the author

One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of thirty international bestsellers, including The Alchemist, Warrior of the Light, Brida, Veronika Decides to Die, and Eleven Minutes. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Paulo is the recipient of 115 international prizes and awards, among them, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor). Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, he soon discovered his vocation for writing. He worked as a director, theater actor, songwriter, and journalist. In 1986, a special meeting led him to make the pilgrimage to Saint James Compostela (in Spain). The Road to Santiago was not only a common pilgrimage but a turning point in his existence. A year later, he wrote The Pilgrimage, an autobiographical novel that is considered the beginning of his literary career. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland.