Time and Perennial Philosophy in Paulo Coelho’s Aleph
Romance Studies July 3, 2018 M. Safaei 2 citations
This essay examines Paulo Coelho's novel Aleph, which depicts time travel to the Spanish Inquisition through a magical point in the universe, and compares it to Jorge Luis Borges's earlier short story 'The Aleph.' The analysis draws on Greek and Judeo-Christian conceptions of time, as well as Gilles Deleuze's philosophical frameworks of Chronos and Aion and the three syntheses of time. The essay argues that Coelho's Aleph functions as a symbol of convergence and compassion between a Christian author and a young Muslim musician, suggesting the possibility of shared experience and reconciliation between followers of ostensibly irreconcilable religions.