How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are? </p>

That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. Among them: </p> <blockquote>

"People create a reality and then become the victims of that reality. Athena rebelled against that—and paid a high price."

Heron Ryan, journalist </p>

"I was used and manipulated by Athena, with no consideration for my feelings. She was my teacher, charged with passing on the sacred mysteries, with awakening the unknown energy we all possess. When we venture into that unfamiliar sea, we trust blindly in those who guide us, believing that they know more than we do."

Andrea McCain, actress </p>

"Athena's great problem was that she was a woman of the twenty-second century living in the twenty-first, and making no secret of the fact, either. Did she pay a price? She certainly did. But she would have paid a still higher price if she had repressed her natural exuberance. She would have been bitter, frustrated, always concerned about 'what other people might think,' always saying, 'I'll just sort these things out, then I'll devote myself to my dream,' always complaining 'that the conditions are never quite right.'"

Deidre O'Neill, known as Edda </p> </blockquote>

Like The Alchemist, The Witch of Portobello is the kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy, and sacrifice. </p>

保罗·柯艾略（Paulo Coelho），著名作家，1947出生于巴西里约热内卢。

少年时代，因叛逆，被视为精神疾病受到三次电击治疗；青年时代，因反对政治独裁，被投进监狱；1986年，38岁的他踏上去往圣城圣地亚哥之路，心灵顿悟。

从1987年的《朝圣》开始，18部作品以68种文字出版、655个版本全球在160多个国家和地区出版发行，销售总量超过1亿册，荣获国际大奖无数，被誉为“唯一能够与马尔克斯比肩，拥有最多读者的拉美作家”。

以博大悲悯的心胸、奇绝独特的视角、清澈如水的文字，将哲学沉思、宗教奇迹、童话寓言熔为一体，感动了全球上至各国政要、国际巨星，下至平民百姓、贩夫走卒在内的数以亿计的读者，甚至目不识丁的人，也对他的文字世界无限神往。2007年，由于作品在全球形成的深远影响力，被任命为联合国和平大使。

2006年，本书震撼问世，被迅速翻译成44种文字，在全球引发巨大反响，好评如潮。美联社以重大篇幅报道：“和保罗所有其他小说一样，作品有着难以置信的美妙文笔。”日本媒体评价说：“书写了一个谜一样的女子，代表了保罗最高水平。”保罗自己则说：“女巫能够通过灵感去引导行为，能够与自然相互交融，面对挑战毫不畏惧，我只想拂去她身上的世俗偏见。”