Paulo Coelho: My novels are banned in Iran
11th January 2011
Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has called on his country's government to address the issue of his books being banned in Iran.
The author, whose novels include The Alchemist and The Winner Stands Alone, claimed on his official blog that his works were recently pulled from book store shelves in the country.
Coelho noted that his novels have been sold in Iran for the past 12 years and estimated that more than six million copies were bought there before apparently being banned.
'I hope this misunderstanding will be solved during this week. And I strongly count on the Brazilian government to support me, my books, for the sake of all the values we cherish,' he wrote.
The author did not give a reason for the 'arbitrary decision' to censor his works. However, Coelho pointed out that he used social networking websites to support Arash Hejazi, his editor in Iran, when he was videoed taking part in anti-government protests in 2009.
Other works by Coelho include The Witch of Portobello, Like the Flowing River and Veronika Decides to Die.