Veronika Decides to Die (Portuguese Veronika decide morrer) is a novel by Paulo Coelho; it tells the story of 24 year old Veronika, who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. Paulo Coelho (IPA: ) (born August 24, 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Paulo Coelho (IPA: ) (born August 24, 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. ...

This book is partly based on Coelho's experience in various mental institutions (see the biography Confessions of A Pilgrim by Juan Arias). It is based around the subject of madness. A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ...

The gist of the message is that "collective madness is called sanity".

Veronika Decides to Die has been adapted for theatre a number of times. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ...

The title Veronika Decides to Die was adapted by Danish Metal band Saturnus in 2006, as they released their third studio album titled Veronika Decides To Die.

Plot summary

Veronika, who leads a seemingly perfect life, lives in Slovenia. She decides to commit a premeditated suicide by ingesting too many sleeping pills. While she waits for her death, she decides to read a magazine. For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

After seeing an article in the magazine which wittily asks "Where is Slovenia?," she decides to write a letter to the press justifying her suicide, the idea being to make the press believe that she has killed herself because people don't even know where Slovenia is. Her plan fails and she wakes up in Villete, a mental hospital in Slovenia, where she is told she has a week to live.

Her presence there affects all of the mental hospital's patients, especially Zedka, who has clinical depression; Mari, who suffers from panic attacks; and Eduard, who has schizophrenia, and with whom Veronika falls in love. Clinical depression (also called major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression when compared to bipolar disorder) is a state of intense sadness, melancholia or despair that has advanced to the point of being disruptive to an individuals social functioning and/or activities of daily living. ... A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than 30 minutes. ...

During her internment in Villete she realises that she has nothing to lose and can therefore do what she wants, say what she wants and be who she wants without having to worry about what others think of her; as a madwoman, she is unlikely to be criticized.

Because of this newfound freedom Veronika experiences all the things she never allowed herself to experience including hatred, love and even sexual awakening. For the emotion Hatred please see Hate Hatred (Nenavist) is a Soviet film of 1975 directed by Samvel Gasparov. ... Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection or profound oneness. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Another character that has an interesting part is Dr. Igor, one of Vilette's top doctors. Igor has a theory about a poison of the mind, which he names vitriol after the toxic chemical discovered by alchemists. The reader quickly discovers that Dr. Igor believes that by telling patients they only have a very short time period to live, they will find the will to live again and will appreciate being alive rather than trying to commit suicide again. The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into sulfuric acid. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ...

Upcoming Development

Veronika Decides to Die has recently been adapted into a screenplay with Muse Productions set to begin shooting in August of 2007 in either Slovenia or Hungary. Emily Young is tentatively secured to direct, and Kate Bosworth is slated to play Veronika.