The Alchemist by Alan Clarke (2006, Paperback, Reissue)

The Alchemist

The Entertainment Critic Book Review, By James Myers
THE ALCHEMIST
By Paulo Coelho
Published by Harper Collins Publishers
197 Pages
ISBN 0-06-112241-6
THIS BOOK HAS SOLD MORE THAN 2 MILLION COPIES
HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO FIFTY-SIX LANGUAGES
AN INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
Five Star Rating *****

“…we all need to be aware of our personal calling. What is a personal calling? It is God’s blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend… To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”


If you have ever read The Little Prince or The Prophet, then this simple, thin, easy to read, compelling story is for you. Dreams, signs, symbolism, medieval mysticism and the desert all play key roles in this tale. In this symbolic masterpiece, Mr. Coelho has established himself as a master fable teller of the first order. We learn that we should follow our dreams and to embrace our destinies. Finding our personal calling, our “Personal Myth” is the reason why we are here, our reason to be. Our mission is to follow our personal calling, to find God, and to achieve the happiness, fulfillment, and the ultimate purpose of all of creation. Now in paperback, this classic has become a top seller again and is available everywhere. First published in Brazil in 1988, The Alchemist has been translated into 56 languages, sold more than 40 million copies, and has been read in over 150 countries. It is one of the best selling books in history.

This is a fable about a shepherd boy, Santiago. He has grown up with poor parents, who struggle to send him to seminary. Santiago has a strong desire to travel the world, so his father allows him to use his inheritance to buy a flock of sheep. He has a recurring dream about treasure under the pyramids in Egypt. A gypsy woman and a mysterious king advise him to pursue his destiny. “When you want something, all of the universe conspires to helping you achieve it.” He listens to the signs, and courageously follows them in a journey of space, time and self-discovery. Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Tangiers in Africa. After a thief steals all of his money, he works for a crystal merchant. He crosses the desert with an Englishman. At a desert oasis he meets and falls in love with Fatima, who encourages him to reach his goals. He earns more money by correctly reading the signs and predicting an attack on the oasis. On the last leg of the journey, he meets the Alchemist, who completes his training in reading the signs of the desert. At the end of the journey he learns that the “treasure lies where your heart belongs” and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired. Coelho is the ultimate optimist; all things are possible as long as you really want it to happen. We are not pawns of fate. We do not loose our ability to control our lives. On the contrary, if we follow our personal journey, we cannot go wrong; if we do not have the courage to follow it; our life is doomed to emptiness, misery and unfulfillment.

The Alchemist has a universal appeal. We can all identify with Santiago, we all have dreams and we all want them to come true. Coelho’s writing style is short, and pointed, much like Hemingway’s. The combination of wisdom, philosophy, the simplicity of language and symbolism, makes the book lyrically rea