Title: The Alchemist Author: Paulo Coelho Published by: HarperTorch Published in: 1988 Pages: 163
And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.
Part One
I doubt there is anyone living who hasn't heard of that particular quote from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Even if you haven't heard of or read the book, I'm sure at some point in your life someone mentioned this. And it's stayed with you since.
The Alchemist is the first novel and worldwide best seller written by Paulo Coelho. It has been translated to so many languages, and what's even more amazing is that this book was originally written in Portuguese. Not English, my friend. I guess the message in The Alchemist is so universal that language is no barrier and everyone in the world wants a taste of it.
Genre-wise, it's basically a fable, an allegory, you name it. Our main character is Santiago from Andalusia. A shepherd boy, he'd wanted to travel the world. At the beginning of the story, he was asleep in a ruined church and had a dream of a little boy telling him he would find a hidden treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. Twice he had this dream. After consulting a Gypsy, Santiago decided to begin his journey. First, he encountered Melchizedek, King of Salem, who introduced him to the concept of a Personal Legend. According to him, that was the purpose of Santiago's journey, not the treasure itself.
Melchizedek was not the only person he met along the way. An unnamed Englishman who was in search of an alchemist, a robber (maybe even more lol), and an Arabian girl named Fatima whom he fell in love with. Santiago wanted to stay for her, but later learned that true love should not stop you from your destiny, nor should you sacrifice your destiny for love. To do so would rob true love of its truth.
It's a simple yet beautiful story, so full of hope and meaning. Most of the times, this is exactly what we need.
EGGLYSIS
Although I said genre-wise it's a fable or an allegory, personally I would say The Alchemist is inspirational. More of a self-help book. The message given by Melchizedek, King of Salem (who's recorded in the Bible btw!) is universal: what is important is the journey, not the destination. It somewhat reminds me of our last review, Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings from The Stormlight Archive series. Journey before destination.
The quote given above is the motif throughout the book. Coelho wrote about achieving your dreams. We are all Santiagos, and our dreams are that hidden treasure. Along the way to achieve those dreams, we grow, we love, we learn. And that is an encouraging thought. :)
Overall, The Alchemist...
