Paulo Coelho The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession

Paulo Coelho "The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession"


Zahir, in Arabic, means visible, present, incable of going unnoticed. It is someone or something which, once we have come into contact with them or it, gradually occupies our every thought, until we think of nothing else. This can be considered either a state of holiness or of madness.
Fauborg Saint-Peres (Encyclopaedia of the Fantastic (1953))

"The extraordinary new International Bestseller from Paulo Coelho is a haunting and redemptive story about obsession and its potential to both fulfill our dreams and destroy them."

Synopsis:

" The narrator is a best selling novelist who lives in France and enjoys all the privileges his money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover. Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator does'nt know where to to start looking for Esther, or if, in fact, he even wants her back. Then, one day, Mikhael finds the abondoned husband and promises to reunite him with his wife. And in his attepmt to recapture a lost love, the narrator will discover something unexpected about himself."



Some phrases, lines and quotes in this book:

"We must never make our parents sad, even if this means giving up everything that makes us happy".

"Why do we love certain people and hate others?

Where do we go after we die?

Why are we born if, in the end, we die?

What does God mean"



"Love was also a synonym for tenderness, security, prestige, comfort, success. Love could be translated into smiles, into words like " I love you" or " I feel so happy when you come home".



"Love is a disease no one wants to get rid of. Those who catch it never try to get better, and thos who suffer do not wish to be cured."



"He taught me to love myself rather than to love him. He showed me that my heart was at the service of myself and of God, and not at the service of others."



"Suffering occurs when we want other people to love us in the way we imagine we want to be loved, and not in the way that love should manifest itself--free and untrammeled, guiding us with its force and driving us on."