I still keep The Alchemist beside my bed and am always meeting others who do the same. Though he doesn't consider himself a spiritual guide, Paulo Coelho has been one of my great teachers. And that's why it's sold more than 65 million copies since it was first published in 1988 and has been translated into more than 80 languages. It's the kind of book you want to share with the whole world.

The book touched me so deeply that I ended up passing it on to everyone I know, and then everyone I know passed it along to everyone they know. The Alchemist is the story of a young Andalusian shepherd who, after dreaming about finding a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt, sells off his flock and embarks on a journey of courage and intuition that is a stand-in for all our journeys. I thought, 'Well, I've got to read the book that changed Madonna's life.' So I did, and I've been dying to interview its author, Paulo Coelho, ever since. She told me during a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show that it was her favorite book-really, she went on and on about it. Now he opens up about dreams, destiny and the only thing he believes will ever make us happy.īelieve it or not, it was Madonna who first introduced me to The Alchemist, in 1996. The author of one of the most popular books in this or any language, Paulo Coelho has lived the mythic journey of self-discovery he fictionalized in The Alchemist, one of Oprah's favorite spiritual guides.

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