Paulo Coelho

Coelho, Paulo "The Alchemist" Harper: 1988
Translated by Alan R. Clarke

I bought this book in paperback and then lost it in my house. I looked for it everywhere. This is not a common occurance for me. I looked for it in the second hand bookstores I frequented in California and never found it which was a surprise as it is a very popular book. I just did not want to buy it brand new again when I knew it was in my house.

Then I got a job as a visiting professor at a national university in Korea and forgot all about it. I took my Sony Reader with me, but it became apparent that I could not read any books on it as I could not renew the batteries. You cannot easily buy English books in Korea. I visited the small English library at the university and there it was, and I checked it out. I had no idea what it was about, but it seemed the book was waiting for me to read it.

(I can't separate these two paragraphs)This edition has a new introduction from the author that I recommend. In the introduction, I imagined that the author was talking to me. He has that way of writing that he seems to be talking to the individual reader. First, he writes that the book, his book, "The Alchemist", is a huge success in the world. Then he writes why it is. The author does not come across as a vain man boasting of his talent and message. Not at all. He does have a story to tell and most important a message that was given to him and that he wants to share. He shares it in a simple but entertaining way.

When I read about each of us having a personal calling, a God's blessing, a path that God as chose for each of us to follow here on earth I did not scoff. It intrigued me because I knew his words rang true. A personal calling is something that we do that fills us with enthusism and it is something that we know we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream. I said to myself that is why I am in Korea.

There are four obstacles to this calling and the author states what they are in his introduction but they are also in the novel. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who has a dream about finding a treasure in the Pyramids of Egypt. Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Africa to find his treasure and this is the story what happens to him. Santiago shows how along the way he learns to trust his heart and read the seemingly inconspicuous signs and we as the reader understand that what we look to find us is just the same, if we let it. Santiago's story is our story too.

It took me a while to write this review because this book meant so much me. The woman who told me about this book said it was the best book she ever read. I would not discribe it as such. It was the best book for me to read when I did because it told me exactly what I needed to know. There are few books that can do that.

Writing about the life of Paulo Coelho is very much like writing about this book. He was born in Rio de Janero, Brazil and is now where he lives. He traveled many places. Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. He has written that he has always known that his Personal Legend was to be a writer, but he was 38 years old when he published his first book. He tried other occupations first.

In 1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he walked the five hundred-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used for centuries by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral that is supposed to have the remains of St. James, he had a spiritual awakening that he described in "The Pilgrimage." "The Alchemist"is a novel that explores this theme.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone. You will get out of it what you put into it. It is not just a book but an experience. You don't have to have a specific religion to enjoy the spiritual quest of the character in the book.