I kissed him hard. The few people in the bar must have been thinking that all they were seeing was just a kiss. They didn't know that this kiss stood for my whole life - and his life, as well. The life of anyone who has waited, dreamed, and searched for their true path. The moment of that kiss contained every happy moment I had ever lived.

One year later he dropped out and lived life as a hippie traveling through South America North Africa Mexico and Europe and started drugs in the 1960s. Paulo Coelho (Portuguese: [ˈpawlu kuˈeʎu]; born August 24 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. As a teenager Coelho wanted to become a writer.

He has become one of the most widely read authors in the world today. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France's Légion d'honneur.