Like the Flowing River

Like the Flowing River: Stories (Portuguese: Ser como o rio que flui. Relatos) is a 2006 story collection of Paulo Coelho.

Like the Flowing River is a collection of reflections from Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. In this riveting collection of thoughts and stories, he offers his personal reflections on a wide range of subjects from archery and music to elegance, travelling and the nature of good and evil. An old woman explains to her grandson how a mere pencil can show him the path to happiness! Instructions on how to climb a mountain reveal the secret to making your dreams a reality. Paulo Coelho is an enchanting storyteller, inspiring people all over the world to see beyond the ordinary and into the remarkable. Like the Flowing River is a compilation of tales, opinions and ideas drawn from articles published in various newspapers.

Background

During all these years, the author has written columns and articles in newspapers and magazines from all over the world. Like the Flowing River is a selection of Paulo's texts made by the author himself. Drawn from different periods and publications, this collection contemplates everyday existence with the placidity with which one might gaze at a flowing river. A compilation of stories, thoughts and impressions which reflect the wide creation of this internationally bestselling Brazilian writer.

Coelho’s simple words and subtle philosophy encompass reflections on solitude, the art of love or the way to become an archer, to parables on man’s struggles and journey through life. His mission is to observe human beings; what they are and how they are, rather than what they want to be or pretend to be. Coelho’s writing is timeless: thoughts on books and libraries and belonging to a technological age sit alongside an awareness of the value of an ordinary pencil. Appealing to a wide audience, this is inspirational non-fiction from the one of the world’s greatest writers.

Publication

Like the Flowing River is published in 20 languages (Catalan, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Latvian, Malayalam, Marathi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak and Spanish). It has been published in paper in all these languages. The only exception is in US & Canada, where the book has only been published as eBook in 2013.^[1]

Sales and reception

The book received critical acclaim and it has sold more than 3,5 million copies. It has connected with all publics and has gathered great success in social media. On the social reading website Goodreads, the novel has a rating of 4 out of 5 and it has more than 3.000 reviews. The readers on the website call it an "amazing, amused and inspiring."^[2]

References