Coelho savages feminist 'nightmare'

Coelho's famous works include The Alchemist and The Zahir

Brazilian author Paulo Coelho has been putting forward some forthright opinions during the promotion of his latest novel, The Witch Of Portobello, including an attack on feminism.

Subtitled A Novel of Magic, Loss and Love, the book centres on a woman named Sherine - also known as Athena - who lives in London's Portobello Road and who has powers of prophesy.

Coelho told BBC World Service's The Ticket programme that these powers were really aspects of a feminine side that both men and women had lost, due, he argued, to feminism and political correctness.

"Feminism was a nightmare," he said.

"Women lost this feminine side by trying to be feminists. I'm totally against this. I think that we are different genders, so we have to get the best of ourselves.

"Having said that, women are much open to love and intuition, and we men need this."

Strange gifts

Coelho admitted that many readers might be "shocked" by his words, but stressed that he was from the "hippy generation, and so I know what I'm talking about".

"In the end, what we have to share are our opposites," he said.

"If you are just one - if you think like a man or behave like a man, if you try to go for the same rights - you lose this beauty of the feminine soul."

Coelho recently set a world record for book signings

The Witch of Portobello centres on Athena, who works in a bank and sells real estate, and her strange disappearance.

It is told from the perspective of her friends, relatives and acquaintances, and how they came to know both her and her strange gifts.

Coelho explained that he believes that the powers of foresight Athena has in the book will one day be developed by all human beings.

"I don't think there are any contradictions in living a normal life and at the same time trying to develop these inner gifts that we all have," he said.

"Athena is the prototype of a person who does this. She lives a normal life, but at the same time she goes to this realm of the unknown - something we don't do anymore, because we want our universe to be fully explained."

He further explained that this psychic ability is really what he means by a "feminine side" - which involves intuition and requires rigour, discipline and love to be brought out.

"You and I have the same gifts - although sometimes we try to hide them because it is not politically correct, or people won't understand," he said.

"That's why the title is The Witch - because 'witch' has a very negative connotation; witches in the middle ages were females who were executed for a number of reasons.

"I do regard Athena as a witch, but I don't believe the word witch has this pejorative connotation anymore. She's a good witch."