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The Alchemist
(1993)
Paulo Coelho |
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Santiago is a shepherd in the rolling hills of Andalucia. He loves his flock, but can't help but notice the limited nature of their existence. He can read and wants to travel. He goes into town one day to sell some of his flock, and encounters a tramp-king and a Gypsy woman. They urge him to 'follow his omens' and leave the world he knows. The Gypsy points him towards the Pyramids of Egypt, where she says he will find treasure.
So begins this fable which has delighted millions around the world. The theme of the book can be summed up in its line, "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." And in reading The Alchemist , we are reminded of Goethe's demand: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it - boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
The Alchemist is remarkable for being a love story that renounces the idea that romantic love must be the central thing in your life. Each person has a destiny or dream to pursue that exists independently of other people. Live your life around the dream, Coelho says, and their will be more 'heart' in your life than you can now comprehend.
Like The Celestine Prophecy , The Alchemist weaves self-empowering and spiritual truths into an irresistible story, complete with an enchanting ending. Readers who have devoured classic literature may find it a bit glib and the characterisation shallow (the same criticism can be made of Celestine ). But remember that it was written as a fable, and has the fable's simplicity.
So much of the self-help literature is about 'pursuing our destiny', but dreams do not always pull us along by their own force. It takes courage, and dog-eared, stained copies of Coelho's classic have become the constant companion of people needing to make fearless decisions daily in order to keep true to a larger vision. As well as being a great story, this book is a fictional alternative to Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway. |
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Warren Bennis, author of
On Becoming A Leader |
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Winner, 2004 Benjamin Franklin Award (US) |
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Finalist, 2004 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year (US) |
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Sold in 25 countries |
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Translated into 16 languages
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| The Alchemist: |
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
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| Paulo Coelho: |
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Coelho grew up in a middle-class family in Rio de Janeiro. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become an engineer, but after stating his wish to be a writer, was put in and out of mental institutions for three years. He became a hippie traveller, joined a cult for a while in Italy, and was held and tortured by the Brazilian police after a stint writing 'subversive' lyrics for a rock band.
Now in his fifties, Coelho is one of the world’s best-selling authors, with 18 million books sold, The Alchemist accounting for around half that figure (its first publisher dropped it after selling less than a thousand copies). The movie rights to The Alchemist have been bought by Warner Bros.
Other books: The Pilgrimage, Diary of a Magus, The Valkyries: An Encounter With Angels, By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept , and Veronica Decides To Die , set in a mental hospital.
Coelho lives with his fourth wife, Christina, a painter, in Rio de Janeiro.
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