Paulo Coelho is Brazilian (Rio de Janeiro, 1947) and he worked as a scene director and as a journalist before devoting himself exclusively to writing. He is mostly known for his novel The Alchemist considered as the best-selling brazilian book in history which was published in 170 countries and translated into 81 languages.

Hippie seems to be his most autobiographical book. It tells the story of Paulo, who dreams of being a writer, and Karla, a Dutch. Both of them decide to go around the world undertaking a journey in the Magic Bus, an affordable coach which has Kathmandu as end of the route.

Little by little they reveal their intimacy: illusions, criteria, past experiences till they fall in love passionately despite being so different in temperament. That thematic thread will be useful for the author to transmit his impressions about the Hippie movement in full swing after the cultural revolution of 1968. For Paulo (main character and author at the same time), this vital philosophy will have laudable values taken from esoterism, oriental mysticism and some of maya and Catholic religiosity. Using this “grab bag”, Coelho will outline an idyllic frame in which he will use his literary ability to find the balance between subtle irony and nuanced respect, in which Christian values don't always come out well. Hippies are pacifists, they do not hurt anyone and teach sound freedom to everyone with their beatific smile, their colourful necklaces and their taste for incense. All in all, a New Age mentality which is never mentioned.

Obviously, taken as an exquisitely pedagogical essay, with such a strong literary force, the work warrants some clear reservations: the negative side of AIDS and drugs are minimized, free love is exalted, the non-collaboration to the social good by those who live at the expense of the others is accepted and bodily instincts are considered as paramount and normative. Furthermore, a sexual scene  is described with too much detail and a “trip” provoked by hallucinogens is sketched out masterfully that could encourage any unsuspecting reader to use them.