Paulo Coelho de Souza (/ˈkwɛl.juː, kuˈɛl.juː, -joʊ/KWEL-yoo, koo-EL-yoo, -⁠yoh, Portuguese: [ˈpawlukuˈeʎu]; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel The Alchemist became an international best-seller.