Hippie

Author: Paulo Coelho

Category: Fiction, literature

Language: English

Publication Year: 2018

Pages: 306

Description:

In "Hippie," his most autobiographical novel yet, Paulo Coelho transports readers back to an era when a generation dared to dream of peace and challenge the status quo—rebelling against authoritarian politics, conservative norms, rampant consumerism, and the uneven distribution of wealth and power. After the transformative "three days of peace and music" at Woodstock in 1969, hippie enclaves sprang up globally. In Amsterdam’s Dam Square, young people with long hair and colorful attire gathered to meditate, play music, and discuss sexual liberation, expanded consciousness, and the search for inner truth. They rejected the robotic, unquestioning existence of their parents.

During this time, Paulo is a young, lanky Brazilian with a goatee and long hair, aspiring to be a writer. His quest for freedom and meaning leads him on a journey with a girlfriend on the "Death Train to Bolivia," through Peru, and hitchhiking across Chile and Argentina. His travels eventually bring him to Amsterdam, where he meets Karla, a Dutch woman in her twenties. She persuades Paulo to join her on a journey to Nepal aboard the Magic Bus, which travels across Europe and Central Asia to Kathmandu. Along the way, they are accompanied by fascinating fellow travelers, each with their own story and transformative experiences that reshape their priorities and values.

As Paulo and Karla journey together, they explore their relationship, undergoing awakenings that lead to crucial decisions, setting the course for their futures.

Personal Notes:

For some reason, maybe because I was getting older when I read this work by Paulo Coelho, I felt nothing. No thrills, no admiration, no spark. Yeah, this book is just not my cup of tea.