Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author, who took a stand for a free Brazil without capitalism. He fought for his people’s right to determine their lives freely. This commitment and his job as a scriptwriter for the theater as well as his drug consumption led to arrests and reception orders to mental hospitals. These experiences have influenced him a lot. So, he decided to try to become a best-selling author.
One of his best works, or maybe his best work ever is “Veronika Decides to Die”. The plot is about the young Veronika, who is obviously trying to commit suicide without any reason. She doesn’t feel bad and also isn’t lovesick or depressed. She just decides to choose a nice moment to die. She takes an overdose of pills and wakes up in the hospital.
There, she’s told that she only has a few days left to live because of the poisoning. During these days, she tries to live life as she has always whished to. She wants to escape from all compulsions. The reader can instantly see the contrast to “being normal”. Coelho’s work reflects the discrepancy between the “I” and normality and the socially accepted issues.
The story is set in the post-civil war time in Slovenia and is building up facts. Historical events and places are named and also play a role in the plot. Even the author appears in the story in a newspaper article.
“Veronika Decides to Die” is an amazing novel, which shows us that we do have the freedom of doing what we wish to. However, most of us only realize it when it’s almost too late.
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