News
19/11/2025. Foreign/Own: "Brazilian Phenomenon" in Karelian
November 18, 2025:
Participants in the Foreign/Own project turned to the work of the Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, discussed the phenomenon of his popularity at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, and translated his story into the Karelian language.
In 1990-2000s, Paulo Coelho’s books were among the best selling in the world. The Brazilian writer's novels also enjoyed incredible popularity in Russia. His novel, The Alchemist, has been translated into 80 languages and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated work by a living author. In total, Coelho has published about 30 books – novels, collections of short stories, and anthologies with commentary. However, despite widespread recognition and a number of prestigious awards, the writer often faces criticism, accusations of superficial philosophical presentation, and even plagiarism. The meeting participants were discussed how the Coelho phenomenon can be explained and what it reveals about readers themselves.
Before the event, participants were read texts of stories from the collection Como um rio and the parable fairy tale. Participants translated the story The Pianist in the Shopping Mall from Russian into the Livvi Karelian, and a native speaker of Karelian and a teacher Tatyana Baranova gave them her editorial assistance. During the discussion, participants shared their impressions and opinions on the popular writer's texts.
Visitors of the National Library of Karelia have an opportunity to form their own opinions about the works by a Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho translated into Russian.
