{"product_id":"manuscript-found-in-accra-isbn-9780345805058","title":"Manuscript Found in Accra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe #1 International Bestselling author of THE ALCHEMIST reveals in this deeply thoughtful novel that the great wisdom of life is that we can be masters of the things that try to enslave us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“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 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.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1099. Jerusalem awaits the invasion of the crusaders who have surrounded the city’s gates. There, inside the ancient city’s walls, women and men of every age and faith have gathered to hear the wisdom of a mysterious man known only as the Copt.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the wise man speaks of loyalty, fear, bravery and solitude, of love, sex, beauty and elegance, his words offer truth and guidance, and reveal the human values that have endured throughout time—then as now, his words reveal who we are, what we fear and what we hope for the future.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e“Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts.” —\u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“His writing is like a path of energy that inadvertently leads readers to themselves, toward their mysterious and faraway souls.”  —\u003ci\u003eLe Figaro\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“His books have had a life enhancing impact on millions of people “ —\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“An exceptional writer.”  —\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An intriguing and playful premise.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Full of worthy musings and quotable quotes on a variety of subjects—from solitude and love to beauty and miracles. . . . Like all Coelho’s other works, the earnestness, simplicity and clarity of [\u003ci\u003eManuscript Found in Accra\u003c\/i\u003e’s] prose start touching your soul and transforming your thoughts.” —\u003ci\u003eThe International Herald Tribune \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Coelho . . .  shows himself again to be a cerebral and subtle writer.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Journal of Books \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Spiritualists and wanderlusts will eagerly devour . . .  [Coelho’s] search for all things meaningful.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Coelho masterfully presents his points wrapped in the … familiar guise of an ancient story.” —\u003ci\u003ePortland Book Review \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A timeless and powerful exploration of personal growth, everyday wisdom and joy.” —\u003ci\u003eBookscan \u003c\/i\u003e(London)\u003cp\u003ePAULO COELHO is the author of many international best sellers, including \u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist, Eleven Minutes, The Pilgrimage,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Fifth Mountain,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAdultery\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. He has been a member of the Academy of Letters of Brazil since 2002 and in 2007 was named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations. In 2003, he received the Guinness World Record for most translations of a single title (\u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/i\u003e) signed by the author in one sitting and several years later, in 2009, he received a new Guinness World Record for most translated author for the same book (also for \u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Paulo Coelho’s books have been translated into 88 languages and have sold more than 320 million copies in more than 170 countries. His novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Alchemist\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the most influential books of all time, has sold more than 85 million copies and has been cited as an inspiration by people as diverse as Malala Yousafzai and Pharrell Williams. He has received numerous prestigious international awards, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, to name a few.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e www.paulocoelho.com\u003cbr\u003e paulocoelhoblog.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Connect with the author:\u003cbr\u003e facebook.com\/paulocoelho\u003cbr\u003e Twitter: @paulocoelho\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eExcerpted from the Hardcover edition\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlas, that is not true. I am only twenty-one, my parents gave me love  and an education, and I married a woman I love and who loves me in  return. However, tomorrow, life will undertake to separate us, and we  must each set off in search of our own path, our own destiny or our own  way of facing death.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs far as our family is concerned, today is  the fourteenth of July, 1099. For the family of Yakob, the childhood  friend with whom I used to play in this city of Jerusalem, it is the  year 4859—he always takes great pride in telling me that Judaism is a  far older religion than mine. For the worthy Ibn al-Athir, who spent his  life trying to record a history that is now coming to a conclusion, the  year 492 is about to end. We do not agree about dates or about the best  way to worship God, but in every other respect we live together in  peace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA week ago, our commanders held a meeting. The French  soldiers are infinitely superior and far better equipped than ours. We  were given a choice: to abandon the city or fight to the death, because  we will certainly be defeated. Most of us decided to stay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe  Muslims are, at this moment, gathered at the Al-Aqsa mosque, while the  Jews choose to assemble their soldiers in Mihrab Dawud, and the  Christians, who live in various different quarters, are charged with  defending the southern part of the city.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOutside, we can already  see the siege towers built from the enemy’s dismantled ships. Judging  from the enemy’s movements, we assume that they will attack tomorrow  morning, spilling our blood in the name of the Pope, the “liberation” of  the city, and the “divine will.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis evening, in the same  square where, a millennium ago, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate handed  Jesus over to the mob to be crucified, a group of men and women of all  ages went to see the Greek, whom we all know as the Copt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe  Copt is a strange man. As an adolescent, he decided to leave his native  city of Athens to go in search of money and adventure. He ended up  knocking on the doors of our city, close to starvation. When he was well  received, he gradually abandoned the idea of continuing his journey and  resolved to stay.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe managed to find work in a shoemaker’s shop,  and—just like Ibn al-Athir—he started recording every- thing he saw and  heard for posterity. He did not seek to join any particular religion,  and no one tried to persuade him otherwise. As far as he is concerned,  we are not in the years 1099 or 4859, much less at the end of 492. The  Copt believes only in the present moment and what he calls Moira—the  unknown god, the Divine Energy, responsible for a single law, which, if  ever broken, will bring about the end of the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlongside the  Copt were the patriarchs of the three religions that had settled in  Jerusalem. No government official was present during this conversation;  they were too preoccupied with making the final preparations for a  resistance that we believe will prove utterly pointless.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Many  centuries ago, a man was judged and condemned in this square,” the Greek  said. “On the road to the right, while he was walking toward his death,  he passed a group of women. When he saw them weeping, he said: ‘Weep  not for me, weep for Jerusalem.’ He prophesied what is happening now.  ‘From tomorrow, harmony will become discord. Joy will be replaced by  grief. Peace will give way to a war that will last into an unimaginably  distant future.’ ”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo one said anything, because none of us knew  exactly why we were there. Would we have to listen to yet another sermon  about these invaders calling themselves “crusaders”?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a moment, the Copt appeared to savor the general confusion. And then, after a long silence, he explained:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“They  can destroy the city, but they cannot destroy everything the city has  taught us, which is why it is vital that this knowledge does not suffer  the same fate as our walls, houses, and streets. But what is knowledge?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen no one replied, he went on:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It  isn’t the absolute truth about life and death, but the thing that helps  us to live and confront the challenges of day-to-day life. It isn’t  what we learn from books, which serves only to fuel futile arguments  about what happened or will happen; it is the knowledge that lives in  the hearts of men and women of good will.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Copt said:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I  am a learned man, and yet, despite having spent all these years  restoring antiquities, classifying objects, recording dates, and  discussing politics, I still don’t know quite what to say to you. But I  will ask the Divine Energy to purify my heart. You will ask me  questions, and I will answer them. That is what the teachers of Ancient  Greece did; their disciples would ask them questions about problems they  had not yet considered, and the teachers would answer them.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“And what shall we do with your answers?” someone asked.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Some  will write down what I say. Others will remember my words. The  important thing is that tonight you will set off for the four corners of  the world, telling others what you have heard. That way, the soul of  Jerusalem will be preserved. And one day, we will be able to rebuild  Jerusalem, not just as a city, but as a center of knowledge and a place  where peace will once again reign.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We all know what awaits us  tomorrow,” said another man. “Wouldn’t it be better to discuss how to  negotiate for peace or prepare ourselves for battle?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Copt looked at the other religious men beside him and then immediately turned back to the crowd.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“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. That is all the  future will be interested in, because I do not believe very much will  change in the next thousand years.”","brand":"Vintage","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305466515685,"sku":"NP9780345805058","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780345805058.jpg?v=1767732235","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/manuscript-found-in-accra-isbn-9780345805058","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}