Manuscript Found in Accra Review

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho – digested read

John Crace distills the latest spiritual odyssey by the Brazilian author down to an illuminating 600 words

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o    John Crace

o    The Guardian, Sunday 24 March 2013 18.59 GMT

o    Jump to comments (48)

Drains the will to live … Paulo Coelho's Manuscript Found in Accra. Illustration: Matt Blease. Click to enlarge

Manuscript Found in Accra

by Paulo Coelho

In 1945, two brothers in Egypt found discarded biblical texts. In 1982, Paolo di Canio found a further manuscript in the same area. He gave it to me, Paulo di Coelho, last year. This is what it said.

Today is July 14th, 1089, and the town of Jerusalem, in which both Jews and Muslims live, will tomorrow be attacked by the Christians. All of us are sore afraid and have gathered in the square. Behold! A bald Brazilian man with a neatly cropped beard descends from a cloud.

A man asks him: "Speak to us about defeat." And the Brazilian answers: "Defeat is not so bad, for everything is part of the Divine Energy. Remember the Circle of Life. The gazelle may be eaten by the lion, but the gazelle eats the grass. Such is God's way."

Another man asks him: "Speak to us about platitudes." And the Brazilian answers: "If I can get away with this drivel, then there is hope for all of us. Even the most useless of you can appreciate the shining of the sun. Unless it is raining. Learn to take pride in all your achievements, however small. If you have stayed at home in bed, delight in the fact you have not driven your car and knocked over a pedestrian."

Another man asks him: "Speak to us about fear." And the Brazilian says: "None of us can escape the Unwanted Visitor of Death. So learn to chill out. A mountain is not afraid to stay in the same place. A man who has had one leg amputated is not so fearful of having the other one hacked off. You have nothing to lose but your limbs. Difficulty is the name of an ancient tool that was created purely to help us define who we are. Chisel is another."

Another man asks him: "Speak to us about beauty." And the Brazilian says: "Do not believe those who say it is only Inner Beauty that counts. Otherwise why would God have made me so handsome? Ugliness is a mask worn by hideous people who are too afraid to allow themselves to feel the Divine Energy and be loved. True Love, though, is the Love that Seduces and will never allow itself to be Seduced."

Another man says: "That's the biggest load of bollocks I've ever heard. Surely anyone Seduced by True Love cannot Experience True Love?" And the Brazilian gave him a withering look of contempt before replying: "The rest is silence, Grasshopper."

A woman asks him: "Speak to us of sex." And the Brazilian says: "It is when two rivers meet to become a more beautiful, more powerful river. And if my meaning is still unclear, email me at holdmylovepump@gmail.com."

Another man asks him: "Why are some men poets and some men labourers?" And the Brazilian says: "One day a man shall come who will write, 'Close your eyes, yet do not sleep/ For I will take you to the Deepest Deep.' And that man will be me. Do not chastise yourself for being quite dim. For if you were bright, you would not buy this book and I would not be loaded."

Another man asks him: "Tell us what the future holds." And the Brazilian says: "The Unwanted Visitor may arrive at any moment. So always have clean underwear and take heed that one man went to mow, went to mow a meadow. Listen to the wind, but do not forget your horse. Or your lawn mower. Think also of a shelf that collapses and breaks an array of painted vases. But do not ask why. Do not fear failure. Each day is a new beginning, so treat it as if it were your last."

With that the Rabbi, the Imam and the Priest cry "Good idea" and kill themselves rather than each other, before a final man asks: "Speak to us of miracles." And the Brazilian says: "You've carried on reading till the end."

Digested read, digested: Manuscript Found in Adustbin.

Synopsis

The latest novel from the #1 internationally best-selling author of The Alchemist.

There is nothing wrong with anxiety.

Although we cannot control God’s time, it is part of the human condition to want to receive the thing we are waiting for as quickly as possible.
Or to drive away whatever is causing our fear.

 . . .
Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it—just as we have learned to live with storms.

*  *  *

July 14, 1099. Jerusalem awaits the invasion of the crusaders who have surrounded the city’s gates. There, inside the ancient city’s walls, men and women of every age and every faith have gathered to hear the wise words of a mysterious man known only as the Copt. He has summoned the townspeople to address their fears with truth: 

“Tomorrow, harmony will become discord. Joy will be replaced by grief. Peace will give way to war. . . . None of us can know what tomorrow will hold, because each day has its good and its bad moments. So, when you ask your questions, forget about the troops outside and the fear inside. Our task is not to leave a record of what happened on this date for those who will inherit the Earth; history will take care of that. Therefore, we will speak about our daily lives, about the difficulties we have had to face.” 

The people begin with questions about defeat, struggle, and the nature of their enemies; they contemplate the will to change and the virtues of loyalty and solitude; and they ultimately turn to questions of beauty, love, wisdom, sex, elegance, and what the future holds. “What is success?” poses the Copt. “It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.” 

*  *  *

Now, these many centuries later, the wise man’s answers are a record of the human values that have endured throughout time. And, in Paulo Coelho’s hands, The Manuscript Found in Accra reveals that who we are, what we fear, and what we hope for the future come from the knowledge and belief that can be found within us, and not from the adversity that surrounds us. 

I’m almost tempted to categorize this review as “non-fiction”, since Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho is 98% philosophy and 2% plot. I can appreciate the lyricism of the writing, but the complete lack of narrative is disappointing. This book reminds me of something a journalist/lecturer once told me: “That’s not a story, it’s a topic.” Manuscript Found in Accra is a series of topics, not a story. It is, at best, a situation. In 1099, on the eve of the Crusaders’ attack on Jerusalem, a group of people gather to listen to a stranger, The Copt, speak. The purpose of this is that after they are scattered across the world, they will all carry the story of how people lived in Jerusalem, so the culture of the city can be rebuilt later.

The most interesting parts of the story happen when The Copt shuts up for a minute stops speaking, and the assembled crowd interjects with questions. Their stories are merely hinted at, but they are fascinating. There are soldiers who are about to die in the imminent attack, families that have to flee, a woman who was to be married and is now without prospects, etc. I would gladly have read a story about them, but alas, they each get just one line apiece.

The Copt’s philosophy is dense, and those who enjoy “feel good” philosophy will probably enjoy it. Manuscript in Accra can be slow reading if you stop to digest every nugget of wisdom The Copt offers. I feel like a curmudgeon saying this, but I’ve heard it all before. It boils down to this: everyone is motivated by fear, but those who succeed in life are the ones who take courage and have faith in themselves and the grace of God.

Even though Manuscript Found in Accra was a bust for me, I would still recommend it to people in search of an uplifting spiritual read. And I don’t often say this, but listening to Manuscript Found in Accra might be a better experience than reading it. The audiobook is narrated by Jeremy frickin’ Irons, man. How awesome is that? Crap, I’m fangirling. Nobody saw that, right?  

My Thoughts:

I’ve heard of Paulo Coehlo from friends over the years. Many of these friends love his novel The Alchemist, and I’ve always had it on my TBR list. When I was approached with the chance to review his latest novel, Manuscript Found in Accra I was really excited, because I’ve heard so many great things about this author.

Unfortunately, once I started reading, the excitement I initially felt about the book gradually diminished. Manuscript Found in Accra begins with a four page preface and a six page chapter which lay the groundwork for the rest of the book. Basically, the book contains questions and answers between the people of Jerusalem and a wise citizen known as the Copt on the eve of Jerusalem being invaded by French crusaders in the year 1099. The purpose for the manuscript of questions and answers is so that knowledge of the way of life for citizens of Jerusalem in 1099 will live on for future generations. The citizens take turns asking the Copt questions of a philosophical nature and the Copt answers them. There is no traditional plot.

Manuscript Found in Accra reads like a fictional Deepak Chopra book. It has lots of really interesting thoughts from the Copt regarding a variety of topics such as defeat, solitude, beauty, love, sex, and anxiety. The prose is deep and at times beautiful, but it is totally not what I was expecting when I picked up the book. I was expecting a novel with all of the elements a typical work of fiction might have: character development, plot, rising action, climax, etc. Some might say we should praise this work for being different and veering from the path of traditional fiction. I’m not against non-traditional fiction at all. This particular novel just doesn’t work for me as a reader.

I’ve read lots of glowing reviews of this book, and I have no doubt fans of Coehlo will enjoy Manuscript Found in Accra. I also think readers who enjoy books by philosophers will devour Manuscript Found in Accra. It is evident from reading this novel that Coehlo is a highly intellectual and talented writer. However, the presentation of the Copt’s wisdom in a question and answer format is a bit too sparse for me.

I have a question for fans of Paulo Coehlo who have read both Manuscript Found in Accra and The Alchemist: Do you think I might enjoy The Alchemist? I really want to give Coehlo another chance.