Paulo Coelho is considered to be one of the most influential authors of our times. He is the best selling author of The Alchemist, and his books have sold more than 140 million copies worldwide and... have been translated to 73 languages. He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 and discovered his vocation for writing early on. He worked as a director, theater actor, composer and journalist. According to Forbes, Paulo Coelho is the second most influential celebrity across social media platforms, with more than 4 million followers on Twitter and 8 million fans on Facebook.