Iran Bans Alchemist Author as Apparent Revenge

The works of author Paulo Coehlo have been banned in Iran, in what appears to be a vendetta for his support of the Green Revolution a year ago, Newsweek reports. Without an official announcement, Coehlo's books, which include the popular The Achemist and Diary of a Magus, have been pulled from shops. Iranians devour Coehlo's work, which delves into mysticism and has been available for 12 years. "It makes no sense," says Coehlo. "The contents of the books did not change—they are still the same.”

What has changed in the last year was the months-long uprising against the regime's contested election, and the killing of Neda Agha Soltan by riot police during one of the protests. Coehlo's editor, Arash Hejazi, was shown trying to revive the girl on a video that went viral, and Coehlo publicly defended his editor for his actions. Though it took more than a year, the ban seems to be comeuppance.
(More Iran stories.)