After three years of daily writing for LeafPaulo Coelho decided it was time to stop. In June 1996, the writer said goodbye to the “Maktub” column, quoting one of his own phrases: “The warrior of light knows how to stop.”
The collaboration began in 1993, when Coelho was in New York to launch “The Alchemist” in the United States. The invitation from Alcino Leite Neto, then editor-in-chief of Ilustrada, came with an unusual condition: to write on any subject, but in no more than 11 lines.
“Eleven lines? Impossible, no one can develop anything in this space”, was the writer’s first reaction. The daily column seemed even more difficult because he spent most of his time traveling, “speaking and thinking in another language.”
What started in a corner of the fifth page of Ilustrada ended up being republished in 14 Brazilian newspapers and two abroad, reaching a combined weekday circulation of 2.1 million. The concise, “business card-shaped” format allowed for quick but systematic reading.
Over the course of 1,096 published texts, Coelho developed the character of the “warrior of light” and shared stories from the spiritual traditions of different cultures. “I had to reread classics that I had put off, look for stories that I had already forgotten, be more attentive to what was happening around me,” he wrote by way of farewell.
Read the full text below, part of section 105 Columns of great repercussion, which recalls the chronicles that marked the history of Folha. The initiative is part of the celebrations of the newspaper’s 105th anniversary in February 2026.
The beginning, the end, the middle of a daily encounter (06/23/1996)
The beginning
In June 1993, I was in New York, during the launch of “The Alchemist” in the United States, when I received a call from Alcino Leite Neto, then editor-in-chief of Ilustrada: “We would like you to do a daily column.”
The invitation scared and excited me at the same time: “What should I write about?” I asked. “About whatever you want,” was the response. “The only limitation is: no matter what, there must be a maximum of 11 lines.”
Eleven lines? Impossible, no one can develop anything in this space. Every day? Even more impossible, there will be no subject. And this from a time when you had already been abroad for some time, speaking and thinking in another language? This won’t work at all. I was ready to call and say I appreciated the invitation, etc., when I thought, “This column was a sign.” This will be the best way to stay in touch with my readers while I’m here.
A journalist from Folha came to interview me, to formalize the start of my collaboration. The day the first column was to appear, I called my wife in Brazil: “There was an excellent interview with you,” she said, “but I haven’t seen the column. I had to reread the entire “Ilustrada” to find it, in a corner of page five.
The end
This journey, which I thought would last about two months, still continues today. I spent most of my time from country to country, to give my literary work the necessary working support. But this corner of page five (currently page two) began to be republished in 14 newspapers in Brazil and two abroad, whose total circulation amounts to around 2.1 million copies on weekdays and almost double that on Sunday.
The merit is not mine: time has proven that the 11 lines and the business card-shaped pagination allow rapid but systematic reading. Most of the texts published in the section – from wise religious and spiritual traditions from all over the planet – were concise and small, demonstrating once again that spiritual research is something direct, simple, but whose rich symbolism requires constant work of reflection.
One of these columns read: “The warrior of light knows how to stop.
The middle
I had to reread classics that I had put off, look for stories that I had already forgotten, be more attentive to what was happening around me, write down episodes of my life that I had never given the value they deserved. I developed a character, the “warrior of light”, who reflects a little of each of us: even with our doubts and our mistakes, it is important to move forward.
As the columns were delivered in advance, I never knew what I would read in the next day’s paper – and so I could share the same surprise as those who read it. On the international flights back to Brazil, the first thing I did was ask the flight attendant for a sheet, to find out what message I was sending myself.
Sometimes I liked it, sometimes I didn’t; A few times I thought to myself, “I shouldn’t have written that.” But, generally speaking, I am happy with the good fight I put up to maintain the seriousness and the humor, the sacred and the profane, the ancient and the modern, in the 11 daily lines.
At a time when I was – and I am – surrounded by numerous requests from the most diverse fields, “Maktub” forced me to practice my profession on a daily basis: writing. With the little bricks published, I began to rebuild myself.
Three years and 1,096 columns later, I feel like the Warrior of Light column said, it’s time to stop. Explanation? None. Warriors live on signs and I received mine. I don’t need logic to justify everything I do: I have learned that alongside reason, there are still misunderstood forces that guide us on the roads of this world. I believe in these forces, I listen to what they tell me and, in general, I obey their instructions.
The “Maktub” would never have existed without the pioneering and revolutionary attitude of Folha, who had the idea and discovered the ideal format, possibly fighting against certain prejudices and opposing currents. To the newspaper, my sincere thanks.
The biggest thanks, however, go to the readers – who contributed with testimonies, stories, bibliographies and testimonials that moved me. To these, I want to remind you of a message from “The Prophet”, by Gibran: after listening to the beautiful reflections that the main character makes, one of the inhabitants of the village thanks him for the teachings. The prophet replies: “Was I not also a hearer?
Well, as I said before, I was the reader too. One afternoon, when I entered a hardware store, I saw a “Maktub” stuck to the glass counter. The seller, noticing my interest, commented, “This Confucius is awesome. »
It’s my greatest reward. Confucius, Nasrudin, Lao-Tsu, Halliel are the best. They were a little forgotten, but I hope that they appeared for each reader at the right time, in the same way that “Maktub” appeared at the right time in my life.
About The Author
