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Overview
“More ambitious than The Alchemist. A thought-provoking tale.” – TIME magazine
In The Fifth Mountain, Paulo Coelho takes us back to the ninth century, to the turbulent Middle East, where the prophet Elijah is struggling to keep his faith alive in a world of constant upheaval, tyrannical royalty, and pagan gods.
Elijah’s story is a lesson in persistence, an exercise in hope, and a journey you will never forget. Inspired by a circumstance that forever altered Coelho’s own life, The Fifth Mountain is a testament to the truth that tragedy in life should not be considered a punishment, but a challenge of the spirit. Gripping in its narrative and graceful in its prose, The Fifth Mountain teaches and inspires like no other novel. This is a timeless story for the ages, a tale of the past that resonates powerfully today.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780061843525 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 10/13/2009 |
| Sold by: | HARPERCOLLINS |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 288 |
| Sales rank: | 775,702 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of thirty international bestsellers, including The Alchemist, Warrior of the Light, Brida, Veronika Decides to Die, and Eleven Minutes. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Paulo is the recipient of 115 international prizes and awards, among them, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor). Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, he soon discovered his vocation for writing. He worked as a director, theater actor, songwriter, and journalist. In 1986, a special meeting led him to make the pilgrimage to Saint James Compostela (in Spain). The Road to Santiago was not only a common pilgrimage but a turning point in his existence. A year later, he wrote The Pilgrimage, an autobiographical novel that is considered the beginning of his literary career. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Hometown:
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDate of Birth:
August 24, 1947Place of Birth:
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilEducation:
Left law school in second yearWebsite:
http://www.paulocoelho.comRead an Excerpt
The Fifth Mountain
A Novel Chapter One
I have served a Lord who now abandons me into the hands of my enemies," said Elijah.
"God is God," the Levite replied. "He did not tell Moseswhether He was good or evil; He simply said: I am. He is everything thatexists under the sun—the lightning bolt that destroys a house, and thehand of man that rebuilds it."
Talking was the only way to ward off fear; at any moment, soldiers wouldopen the door to the stable where they were hiding, discover them both,and offer the only choice possible: worship Baal, the Phoenician god, orbe executed. They were searching house by house, converting the prophetsor executing them.
Perhaps the Levite would convert and escape death. But for Elijah therewas no choice: everything was happening through his own fault, and Jezebelwanted his head under all circumstances.
"It was an angel of the Lord who obliged me to speak to King Ahab andwarn him that it would not rain so long as Baal was worshiped in Israel,"he said, almost in a plea for absolution for having heeded what the angelhad told him. "But God acts slowly; when the drought begins to takehold, Princess Jezebel will already have destroyed all who remain loyalto the Lord."
The Levite said nothing. He was reflecting on whether he should convertto Baal or die in the name of the Lord.
"Who is God?" Elijah continued. "Is it He who holds the swordof the soldier, the sword that executes those who will not betray the faithof our patriarchs? Was it He who placed a foreign princess on our country'sthrone, so that all this misfortune could befall our generation? Does Godkill the faithful, the innocent, those who follow the lawof Moses?"
The Levite made his decision: he preferred to die. Then he began to laugh,for the idea of death frightened him no longer. He turned to the young prophetbeside him and attempted to calm him. "Ask God, since you doubt Hisdecisions," he said. "I have accepted my fate."
"The Lord cannot wish us to be massacred without mercy," insistedElijah.
"God is all-powerful. If He limited Himself to doing only that whichwe call good, we could not call Him the Almighty; he would command onlyone part of the universe, and there would exist someone more powerful thanHe, watching and judging His acts. In that case, I would worship that morepowerful someone."
"If He is all-powerful, why doesn't He spare the suffering of thosewho love Him? Why doesn't He save them, instead of giving might and gloryto His enemies?"
"I don't know," said the Levite. "But a reason exists, andI hope to learn it soon."
"You have no answer to this question."
"No."
The two men fell silent. Elijah felt a cold sweat.
"You are terrified, but I have already accepted my fate," theLevite said. "I am going out, to bring an end to this agony. Each timeI hear a scream out there, I suffer, imagining how it will be when my timecomes. Since we've been locked in here, I have died a hundredfold, whileI could have died just once. If I am to be beheaded, let it be as quicklyas possible."
He was right. Elijah had heard the same screams, and he had suffered beyondhis ability to withstand.
"I'm going with you. I weary of fighting for a few more hours of life."
He rose and opened the stable door, allowing the sun to enter and exposethe two men hiding there.
The Levite took him by the arm, and they began to walk. If not for one thenanother scream, it would have seemed a normal day in a city like any other—asun that barely tingled the skin, the breeze coming from a distant oceanto moderate the temperature, the dusty streets, the houses built of a mixtureof clay and straw.
"Our souls are prisoners of the terror of death, and the day is beautiful,"said the Levite. "Many times before, when I felt at peace with Godand the world, the temperature was horrible, the desert wind filled my eyeswith sand and did not permit me to see a hand's span before me. Not alwaysdoes His plan agree with what we are or what we feel, but be assured thatHe has a reason for all of this."
"I admire your faith."
The Levite looked at the sky, as if reflecting briefly. Then he turned toElijah. "Do not admire, and do not believe so much; it was a wagerI made with myself. I wagered that God exists."
"You're a prophet," answered Elijah. "You too hear voicesand know that there is a world beyond this world."
"It could be my imagination."
"You have seen God's signs," Elijah insisted, beginning to feelanxiety at his companion's words.
"It could be my imagination," was again the answer. "In actuality,the only concrete thing I have is my wager: I have told myself that everythingcomes from the Most High."
The street was deserted. Inside their houses, the people waited for Ahab'ssoldiers to complete the task that the foreign princess had demanded: executingthe prophets of Israel. Elijah walked beside the Levite, feeling that behindeach door and window was someone watching him—and blaming him for whathad happened.
"I did not ask to be a prophet. Perhaps everything is merely the fruitof my own imagination," thought Elijah.
But, after what had occurred in the carpenter's shop, he knew it was not.
The Fifth Mountain
A Novel. Copyright © by Paulo Coelho. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
What People are Saying About This
A wry book, full of wit, wise counsel and parables for our time.--Author of The Ecstatic Journey: Walking the Mystical Path in Everyday Life
Reading Group Guide
Summary
When the novel begins, the year is 870 B.C., and the prophet Elijah is in his early twenties and fleeing for his life. His death has been ordered by the beautiful but implacable Jezebel, wife of Israel's King Ahab. His "crime": denouncing the false gods that Jezebel has brought from her native Phoenicia, known to the Hebrews as Lebanon. Through an angel, God orders Elijah to make the arduous journey across the desert and take refuge in the Phoenician city of Zarephath, which its inhabitants call Akbar. There, Elijah is befriended by a widow, older than him, who offers him lodging with her and her young son. Like her countrymen, she is a worshipper of Baal, who is said to reside with the other gods at the fogshrouded summit of the Fifth Mountain. Still, she and the Israelite gradually form a warm bond, though neither dare voice their feelings. But events conspire against Elijah. When the woman's son becomes ill and dies, the blame falls on Elijah, who is accused of having brought misfortune with him. Taken before the High Priest of Akbar, he is condemned to die on the Fifth Mountain, from which no man returns. There, the priest declares, either he will be consumed by the fire from heaven or, should the gods choose not to sully their hands with him, upon his descent he will be beheaded in the city square. On the Fifth Mountain, an angel of God directs him to descend and, through God's power, restore the boy to life. The people of Akbar, interpreting the miracle as a sign of the gods' favor, hail the Israelite as a sage. Soon he is settling disputes among the townspeople and becomes an adviser to the governor, evoking the wrath of thehigh priest. As his feelings for the widow and her son grow, Elijah is torn between an earthly love he has never known and the desire to return to Israel and remove Jezebel from the throne, destroying idolatry and restoring the worship of the One God. But he must remain in Akbar until the Lord orders him to depart. Phoenicia, the commercial center of the Mediterranean at this time, has a merchant fleet that trades throughout the known world. But the country's wealth draws the covetous attention of the Assyrians, who begin gathering a force to conquer the coastal cities of Sidon and Tyre -- and Akbar lies strategically in the advancing army's path. Soon Elijah finds himself at the center of a military and political maelstrom that challenges his faith and forces him to confront the unavoidable. Out of the tragedy that emerges, Elijah learns lessons that are applicable to all of humankind and are as timeless as the desert sands and the mountains that gaze silently down on the ashes of Akbar. In a resolution that resonates vividly for modem men and women, he wrests from the unavoidable a new beginning, an opportunity to give meaning to tragedy and direction to a shattered life. Questions for DiscussionInterviews
On Wednesday, March 4th, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Paulo Coelho, author of THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN.
Brigitte from Midland, TX: I read that THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN has been translated into 38 different languages. Could you please try to explain the international popularity of your work? Why do you think the United States is slow to catch on?
Paulo Coelho: In fact, I have sold more than 600,000 copies of all my books in the U.S. My American readers are responding very well to my books. The only problem is that the media still do not give me any important space. As for the popularity, I believe that my books try to share my experience -- not my wisdom, because I believe that we all have the same wisdom. But as for experience, we have different ones, and it is good to know that by sharing our way to live our lives, we feel that we are not alone.
Luis from Madera, CA: I enjoyed reading THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN. It was the first book of yours I've read. Would you consider yourself a spiritual person? Do you consider yourself lucky that you are able to combine your spiritual beliefs with your work?
Paulo Coelho: I consider myself as someone who decided to follow a dream, and to pay the price of it. My dream was to be a writer, something nearly impossible in Brazil. My mother told me to be a lawyer -- I could earn a living by being a lawyer, not a writer, she said. I try to live my life according to the "The Manual of Good Behavior," but, fortunately, I forgot this unwritten book and decide to write my own.
Terrence from South Royalton, VT: In the beginning of THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN, you tell a story about your former career as a record executive and how your termination was what brought you to writing. Why did you decide to tell this story before THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN? It's unusual for an author to offer such personal insight into the creation of a novel.
Paulo Coelho: Any book is, in one way or another, the mirror of a writer's soul. And this is my case.
Shanna Freidman from Bay Shore, NY: How long did it take you to write THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN? How much research did you need to do while writing THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN?
Paulo Coelho: It took two months to write it (first draft) and several months to rewrite it. But the basic question of the book --Why tragedy gets us some times in our lives -- has been with me for a long time. And we should consider that also as part of the process of writing, because, inside myself, the book was taking form.
Elise from Brooklyn, NY: For those of us who haven t read THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN, could you provide a short description?
Paulo Coelho: A man fighting against his destiny. And -- fortunately -- losing this battle. I took the prophet Elijah as the main character, because he was, in his youth, in exile, trying to find a way of life that was not his own.
Mark from New York City: Paulo, I read BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT. I loved it. Thank you for writing it. I am an avid reader of Pablo Neruda, and I must say I found some simliarities between your view on the world and Mr. Neruda's, in your passion, and the attention you both pay to the romantic aspects of the environment. Is he an influence of yours? Thank you, I've always wanted to ask.
Paulo Coelho: Neruda had a strong influence in my youth. And BY THE RIVER PIEDRA is the way that I found to accept -- and even to discover -- my feminine side. Pilar is Paulo Coelho.
Thomas Garneau from Bradenton, FL.: What books are Brazilians reading right now? Other than your books, of course...
Paulo Coelho: INTO THIN AIR, Grisham, Sheldon. I believe that Brazilian best sellerlists are not very different from everywhere else.
Amanda from Brazil: When did you decide to talk about spiritual things?
Paulo Coelho: This was my inner quest since my youth -- the hippie generation. I decide to write about this because this was the way that I found to organize my thoughts.
Marian Mitchell from Bellingham, WA: You traveled for both THE PILGRIMAGE and THE VALKYRIES. Did you do any traveling for THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN?
Paulo Coelho: In fact, I only went to Lebanon (where the book takes place) some months after finishing the FIFTH MOUNTAIN. I was surprised to see that Lebanon was exactly as I saw it with the eyes of my soul. As for THE VALKYRIES and THE PILGRIMAGE, when I made these journeys, I never thought of writing about them . However, I did travel twice to write a book on a specific subject, and it did not work. I lost the openess that I should have had, because I was too concentrated on writing.
Kielty Gallagher from San Diego, CA: Mr. Coelho, hello. I read that you have walked the Camino de Santiago. I, too, walked 100 miles of the Camino one year ago, last June. The feeling I got upon entering St. James Cathedral is indescribable. Can I ask you to share some thoughts about the Camino? Thank you!
Paulo Coelho: The Spanish poet Machado once wrote "Wanderer, there is no road, you make the road as you go. "I believe that this is the best definition of El Camino. It is a pilgrimage that I suggest to everyone, regardless of creed, spiritual vision, etc.
Holly Roberts from Detroit, MI: In THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN, Elijah had the ability to see angels as a child, an ability he suppressed when he was an adult (until it was unavoidable). Do you feel children are more open to seeing angels than adults are?
Paulo Coelho: I do feel that. But I am also convinced that we can listen to this child again -- if we fear not what she or he is telling us.
Darcy Halloway from Arlington, VA: Will any of your books be made into movies?
Paulo Coelho: Warner bought THE ALCHEMIST" (today I consider that a big mistake, because so far there are no plans to turn it into a movie -- even after several scripts. THE VALKYRIES is under option by the Arenas Group (Hollywood) and, in my opinion, will be the first to be made. BY THE RIVER PIEDRA is under option by the French actress Isabelle Adjani. Now I've decided to wait a little -- I have no plans to sell the rights of THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN until one of these above-mentioned movies is released.
Shelley from Miami, FL: Will you be on a book tour in the United States to promote THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN?
Paulo Coelho: I am leaving tomorrow to Europe and Asia, to start the promotion tour of THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN. Up to now, I have made four promotion tours in the U.S. for previous books. I will go to the U.S. in May, after Japan. If you want to see my travel plans, please go to my home pagewww.paulocoelho.com.br
Amanda from Brazil: Why is THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN your only book where the title is not really the same in all languages? In Portuguese the title is MONTE CINCO. Why not A QUINTA MONTANHA?
Paulo Coelho: Good question. In nearly all the countries that will be releasing the book in March, MOUNT FIVE (the original title) sounds like a book about war, hills that should be taken, etc. It worked only in Portuguese. There is another book of mine that has several different titles O DIARIO DE UM MAGO (The Diary of a Magus) has a different title in nearly each country that it was published in. In the U.S., it is calledTHE PILGRIMAGE. All the other books kept the same title as in Portuguese.
Janssen from Golden, CO: How soon after your lost your job did you begin writing? And which book was it?
Paulo Coelho: It took another six years. I had to have a rite of passage -- in my case it was the pilgrimage to Santiago. But my destiny was there, waiting for me. In between, I created a small publishing house, to -- at least -- be near the process of editing books. By the way, the publishing house did not work!
Asterisk from Seattle, WA: The feeling I got from reading THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN is that all things happen for a reason. Even if our lives feel completely random, there s a reason our lives take the path they take. Is that your belief? Does one really need to experience tragedy to reach one's dream? Thanks.
Paulo Coelho: I believe in joy. But, sometimes, tragedy is around the corner, waiting for us. And there is no way out -- so we have to accept, and to wait till it goes away. And for "coincidences," you are right. Everything has a purpose in life. It depends on us to recognize this purpose.
Shelley from Miami, FL: This year is the tenth anniversary of the first publication of THE ALCHEMIST -- is there anything special planned to mark the occasion?
Paulo Coelho: We will have a big event in Tarifa, the place where Santiago, the main character, starts his journey. Everybody is welcome! Music, dance, etc.! Ten years, and still wandering around the world, this shepherd boy deserves a party, don't you agree?
Dianne from Philadelphia, PA: Who are your literary influences? Whom do you like to read?
Paulo Coelho: Henry Miller. Jorge Amado. Jorge Luis Borges. William Blake. These are the main influences.
Margo Slater from Davidson, NC: With all that Elijah has to face -- arrows, high priests, Ahab -- one of the times he is most scared is when he falls in love with the Widow. Do you think that's an accurate depiction of love?
Paulo Coelho: An accurate description of love -- as most of us see it. Because love is the only thing that we cannot control. We can fight against arrows, Ahab, but we fear to follow love -- because we never know where it will take us. It is time to face this fear and surrender ourselves to the unexpected. We wait for Mr. Right and lose all the interesting things of Mr. Wrong.
Jackson from Telluride, CO: Did the Fifth Mountain and the worshippers of Baal actually exist?
Paulo Coelho: The Fifth Mountain exists. As for the worshipers, I don't know.
K. Gallagher from La Jolla, CA: What have you done with your conch shell from the Camino? Do you display it for others to see, or is it hidden away in some private place?
Paulo Coelho: I left it in the Cathedral of Santiago. In fact, I had three shells, creating a kind of sanctuary for N.S. Aparecida, the Virgin that is considered the protector of Brazil. It was very fragile -- the three shells glued together, and the image of Aparecida in the center. But it survived intact the challenges of the pilgrimage.
Michael from Princeton, NJ: I found the whole evolution of the alphabet and of papyrus in THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN fascinating. How much of that was based on history? When the alphabet was catching on as a form of communication, did it meet with such violent resistance as it does in Akbar from the High Priest?
Paulo Coelho: As far as my researches go, the answer is yes. The facts described in the book are based on history -- but I must stress that this is not a historical book. It is a book about human conflicts -- there are still the same conflicts 3,000 years later.
Carter from Tempe, AZ: Did you by any chance take part in the festivities during Carnival? How was it this year?
Paulo Coelho: For most Brazilians, Carnival has lost totally its original flavor and has become a tourist attraction. I hate Carnival. I spent Carnival writing my new book, which is about folly, madness, asylums, crazy people. It is called VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE, and it will be published in the U.S. next year.
Pietro from Albany, NY: I think it was John Updike who wrote that your country -- Brazil -- has an inferioriy complex, that the slogan The Land of the Future is almost a curse and Brazil will always be The Land of the Future and never actually achieve its potential. Would you care to comment on that?
Paulo Coelho: Updike's book BRAZIL is not an accurate vision of the country. But he is right about the idea of The Land of Future and wrong about the inferiority complex.
Todd Krugman from Boulder, CO: I too walked the Camino, for four weeks. It was the most difficult and most triumphant thing I've ever done. I found the most remarkable aspect of it to be the generosity of the people who live along the route, offering shelter, food, and drink. They amazed me. My question is this -- the most common thing that I received from these generous Spaniards was bread and wine. The religious implications did not escape me. Are you a religious man? Was the pilgrimage a religious experience for you?
Paulo Coelho: Thank you for sharing with other people who are participating in this chat, your experience in the Camino. You have nearly everything there -- generosity yes, but one of my friends, starving, has been denied a small piece of bread. I believe that the Camino is a good symbol for life. And yes, I am Catholic, but I don't transfer to my religion the responsibility of my spiritual search -- this is up to me. And I also believe that, no matter what religion you are in, they all lead to God. Christ said "The house of my Father has many mansions."
Shelley from Miami, FL: Your books all seem to carry a theme of "Love is Freedom"-- unconditional love that is.... Do you think that romantic love is a stepping-stone or stumbling block to unconditional love?
Paulo Coelho: I believe that earthly love lead us to the love of God. People tend to separate the two -- one as "sin," the other as "sacred." The art of alchemy is to project the spiritual world into this material one.
Gert from Hanover, NH: At one point in THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN, when the Assyrians attack Akbar, it almost seems as if it becomes entertainment for the people there. They are excited and happy because they had never seen their armies before. The young boy was even excited, even though Akbar was sure to be destroyed. What inspired you to write that part of THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN?
Paulo Coelho: The danger exists exactly in the things that we have not experienced before. There were some difficult moments in Brazil, like the military dictatorship -- people were excited, and then they had to pay a very expensive price for that.
Moderator from barnesandnoble.com: We are pleased and honored that you could join us this evening to discuss THE FIFTH MOUNTAIN. We hope you will come back. Any final comments for your online fans?
Paulo Coelho: I thank you all for giving me the possibility of talking to my readers in America. One of the questions was about going to the U.S.; so, I was in the U.S. for this past hour. It was a great pleasure. And my final message isWHO DARES WINS. Love from Brazil, PAULO
