Revisiting Paulo Coelho

I have mentioned before that I am in Daejeon, South Korea. Getting books in English is very difficult, however I was very lucky to have found "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho in the university's small English library. I had bought it in the United States intending to read it and then lost it in my house for some reason. I read it and reviewed it on Sunday, May 23, 2010.

To my surprise, another professor here in Korea took me to task for that review. He said that "The Alchemist" was one of the worst books ever written and that I should have known better. He is younger than me by about 20 years and comes from The United Kingdom and has a PHd. I looked on the Internet and found several places that list "The Alchemist" as a terrible book but found other views that said it was wonderful. I went back to the book which was still sitting on the shelf in the English section of the library and reread it.

I stand by what I wrote about that book. There are sentences and phrases that still echo in my head from time to time from "The Alchemist". Yes, it is written in a simple and easy to read prose. That does not mean it is a simple book. I mentioned this fact to this professor and he said that the example I used," The Great Gatsby"by F. Scott Fitzgerald was another lousy book. That is when I stopped considering what he had to say. I think the book, "The Great Gatsby", is one of the great American novels. Fitzgerald may have written some flawed books but that one was perfect.

I asked that professor to write why he did not like "The Alchemist" on my blog. I accept all comments. I may not agree with everyone but I don't censor comments. The only thing that I want people to say why they don't like a book or writer and not to just say it is lousy or it is bad and just leave it at that. He said he did not have the time. I should have known better anyhow.

I can say I love reading "The Great Gatsby" because it is a word and visual feast. As a reader, I can see and feel everything in the book and the story is told on so many different levels that the reader can read it many times getting a different story each single time. With "The Alchemist", when I read it again in the library it was a simple story but full of the wonderful things that make the human condition. It is true the message is strong in the book but what a message and the quest is what makes all of us so human. I loved reading it again.

I would like to invite anyone to make comments on my comments. I don't think I write the best so-called reviews of the books that I can find over here. Most of the time I am reading old books which is what I am doing now. Still, many of those older books are like wine and improve with time.