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A stranger arrives at the remote village of Viscos, carrying with him a back-pack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to a question that torments him: Are human beings, in essence, good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives.

A novel of temptation by the internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym is a thought-provoking parable of a community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear –as it struggles with the choice between good and evil.

THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM

 

A stranger arrives at the remote village of Viscos, carrying with him a back-pack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to a question that torments him: Are human beings, in essence, good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives.

A novel of temptation by the internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym is a thought-provoking parable of a community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear –as it struggles with the choice between good and evil.

Editions

Rights sold in 43 languages:

Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Complex), Chinese (Simplified), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Farsi, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukranian and Vietnamese.

Reviews

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”

-JUSTICE GUZMAN, USA, MARCH 2017

 

"In this novel, Paulo's special gift for enriching the soul is once again displayed."
-- FEMINA, DENMARK, FEBRUARY 2005

 

"Just like his other books, this one stays in your mind long after you have read the last few lines."
-- VÄSTERBOTTENS FOLKBLAD, SWEDEN, JANUARY 2003

 

"This is a thought-provoking, beautifully written parable of our times."
-- CHOICE, UK, OCTOBER 2001

 

"Coelho must be gifted with a prophet's vision and farsightedness. His book Der Dämon und Fräulein Prym strikes right into the heart of our global crisis of values."
-- SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, GERMANY, SEPTEMBER 2001

 

"Coelho confronts his readers with a moral choice, but he doesn't give answers. The readers get time to think by themselves and to come to their own conclusions."
-- KOTIMAA, FINLAND, DECEMBER 2002

 

"A stunning new novel. [...] A compelling and uplifting modern fable."
-- THE BIG ISSUE, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 2001

 

"In this stunning novel, Coelho dramatises the struggle within everyone between light and darkness and its relevance to our everyday struggles."
-- THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH, IRELAND, SEPTEMBER 2001

 

"In this extraordinary book, Coelho has the courage to ask awkward questions...
and give surprising answers."
-- THE DAILY EXPRESS, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 2001

 

"A heart-warming novel about the perpetual question about good and evil."
-- LÄNSTIDNINGEN SÖDERTÄLJE, SWEDEN, NOVEMBER 2002

 

"Ever since the terrorist attacks in the US, Paulo Coelho's latest book appears with a new light. As from September 11th, its subject matter - the battle between Good and Evil - is of everybody's concern."
-- DER SPIEGEL, GERMANY, OCTOBER 2001

 

"In his new book The Devil and Miss Prym, Paulo Coelho tells us that if we want the world to be better, we have to assume responsibility for our deeds."
-- TRYBUNA, POLAND, OCTOBER 2002

 

"Compared to The Alchemist, The Devil and Miss Prym is a clever debating book. Its angels and demons seem to lean on anybody's shoulders. A war is going on among the souls, the conscious is searched and the evil is given a shape and a voice. The characters are confronting choices all the time."
-- AAMULEHTI, FINLAND, DECEMBER 2002

 

"The Devil and Miss Prym is a book with meditations on our conscience, the fight between good and evil and the essence of humanity."
-- DAILY RZECZPOSPOLITA, POLAND, NOVEMBER 2002

 

"Since Paulo Coelho first bared his soul in print, the Brazilian has become not so much an author as an international phenomenon. With The Alchemist he became almost the bestselling contemporary author on earth. Like The Alchemist, The Devil and Miss Prym is a simple tale, with the meaning of life and spiritual guidance at its core."
-- THE GUARDIAN, UK, JUNE 2002

 

"Marvellous. Literary speaking."
-- FAMILEN MAGAZINE, NORWAY, NOVEMBER 2002

 

"A fascinating meditation on the human soul, The Devil and Miss Prym illuminates the reality of good and evil within, and the difficulties of choosing between them."
-- DUBLIN MAGAZINE, IRELAND, SEPTEMBER 2001

 

"The master storyteller Paulo Coelho has written a new novel. […] The simple beauty of his prose combines philosophical challenge with an elegant but accessible style."
-- NOVINAR, BULGARIA, JUNE 2001

 

"He has no halo, but lives like a saint, he has no wings, but is the sweet companion to millions of human beings, he does not wear a priest's robe, but, for many people, his words are God's words."
-- EL ESPECTADOR, COLOMBIA, MAY 2001

 

"His star is still on the rise."
-- CESKOBUDEJOVICKE LISTY, CZECH REPUBLIC, MAY 2001

 

"In this new work, 'The Devil and Miss Prym', two of the characters, personifications of Good and Evil, come face to face with each other as people who, quite unexpectedly, provide a holistic vision of life. This recurring theme is revealed to us in the novel from a variety of angles."
-- DANIELLE MAZINGARBE, MADAME FIGARO, FRANCE, APRIL 2001

 

"With this new book Paulo Coelho succeeds once more in seducing the reader."
-- LA HORA, CHILE, APRIL 2001

 

"The eternal battle between Good and Evil is the subject of this symbolic,
moving fable, which fully justifies Coelho's success around the world."
-- WOMAN MAGAZINE, SPAIN, MARCH 2001

 

"In The Devil and Miss Prym a complex question is in the air: are human beings naturally good or evil? And the answer is given with all the apparent simplicity of a parable."
-- EL MUNDO, SPAIN, FEBRUARY 2001

 

"The Devil and Miss Prym both disturbs and awakens the reader. Paulo Coelho is a citizen of the world who stimulates our capacity to dream and to fulfil our dreams."
-- REVISTA BOA ESTRELA, PORTUGAL, OCTOBER 2000

 

Extracts

A man, his horse and his dog were traveling down a road. When they were passing by a gigantic tree, a bolt of lightning struck and they all fell dead on the spot.

But the man did not realize that he had already left this world, so he went on walking with his two animals; sometimes the dead take time to understand their new condition…

The journey was very long, uphill, the sun was strong and they were covered in sweat and very thirsty. They were desperately in need of water. At a bend in the road they spotted a magnificent gateway, all in marble, which led to a square paved with blocks of gold and with a fountain in the center that spouted forth crystalline water.

The traveler went up to the man guarding the gate.
“Good morning. What is this beautiful place?”
“This is heaven.”
“How good to have reached heaven, we’re ever so thirsty.”
“You can come in and drink all you want.”
“My horse and my dog are thirsty too.”
“So sorry, but animals aren’t allowed in here.”

The man was very disappointed because his thirst was great, but he could not drink alone; he thanked the man and went on his way. After traveling a lot, they arrived exhausted at a farm whose entrance was marked with an old doorway that opened onto a tree-lined dirt road.

A man was lying down in the shadow of one of the trees, his head covered with a hat, perhaps asleep.
“Good morning,” said the traveler. “We are very thirsty – me, my horse and my dog.”
“There is a spring over in those stones,” said the man, pointing to the spot. “Drink as much as you like.”

The man, the horse and the dog went to the spring and quenched their thirst. Then the traveler went back to thank the man.
“By the way, what’s this place called?”
“Heaven.”
“Heaven? But the guard at the marble gate back there said that was heaven!”
“That’s not heaven, that’s hell.”

The traveler was puzzled.
“You’ve got to stop this! All this false information must cause enormous confusion!”

The man smiled:
“Not at all. As a matter of fact they do us a great favor. Because over there stay all those who are even capable of abandoning their best friends…”