The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: Book Review

Categories: Biography

Paulo Coelho

Coelho born in Diamond State Janeiro city middle de Janine, Brazil and attended a Jesuit college. As a young character, Coelho had to grow to be a creator. Upon telling his mother this, she spoke back, 'My expensive, your father is accomplice degree engineer. he is a logical, low priced guy with a certainly clear vision of the globe. Does one without a doubt recognize what it manner that to be a author?' At seventeen, Coelho's introversion and competition to following a conventional route semiconductor diode to his parents committing him to a insane asylum from that he at liberty thrice earlier than being unfastened on the age of twenty.

Born right into a Catholic family, his oldsters had been strict regarding religion and religion. Coelho later remarked that 'It wasn't that they needed to damage Maine, but they did now not apprehend what to try to do... They did not do that to break Maine, they did that to save lots of Maine.

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At his parents' desires, Coelho registered in grad school and abandoned his dream of turning into a creator. One 12 months later, he born out and lived existence as a flower infant, visiting through South America, geographic place, Mexico, and Europe and commenced victimization remedy within the Sixties. Upon his come to Brazil, Coelho worked as a ballad maker, composing lyrics for Elis provincial capital, Rita Lee, and Brazilian icon Raul Seixas. Composing with Raul semiconductor diode to Coelho being associated with magic and occultism, because of the content of some songs.

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In 1974, via his account, he changed into inactive for 'subversive' sports and tortured by using the ruling army government, United Nations organization had taken energy 10 years in advance and considered his lyrics as left and threatening. Coelho conjointly labored as associate diploma actor, journalist and supervisor before following his writing career.

 Career

In 1982, Coelho revealed his preliminary book, Hell Archives, that did not create a widespread impact. In 1986 he contributed to the practical Manual of Vampirism, although he later attempted to require it off the shelves seeing that he thought-approximately it 'of risky nice. once developing the pilgrim's adventure to Santiago Delaware Compostela in 1986, Coelho wrote The pilgrim's journey, printed in 1987. the following year, Coelho wrote The Alchemist printed it through alittle Brazilian publishing company that created an initial run of 900 copies and determined to not reprint it.He afterwards determined a good larger publishing corporation, and with the guide of his next book Brida, The mind took off. HarperCollins determined to put up the e-book in 1994. Later it have become a worldwide bestseller.

My Thoughts

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian creator, and after reading up on him, it seems his life shares some parallels with the story in his book. He had constantly wanted to be a content creator however his parents didn’t permit it. He changed into establishing a mental institution, escaped, became a hippie and travelled the world, and finally lower back and fulfilled his dream of being an author. He is an advocate of no longer giving up for your dream, and this message seems to return through on this novel particularly. The Alchemist has now sold over 65 million copies – one of the best promoting books in records. How have I not heard of it before?!

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho's captivating novel has stimulated a dedicated following round the arena. This tale, fantastic in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring awareness, is ready an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desolate tract on the lookout for a treasure buried close to the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy female, a person who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom factor Santiago in the path of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago may be capable of surmount the obstacles in his direction. But what begins out as a adventure to discover worldly items turns into a discovery of the treasure discovered within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an everlasting testimony to the reworking strength of our dreams and the significance of being attentive to our hearts.

Opening thoughts

I don’t study numerous novels. In reality, I NEVER study novels. I think the final novel I read turned into Fault in our stars novel via John Green when I was 16 years old. It was quite right too, from what I don't forget. So why did I study The Alchemist? To be sincere, I turned into simply searching out something special. I’ve been making an attempt to study extra this 12 month, and I just didn’t have the power to read some other enterprise or life-style design e book. I’ve continually been a large fan of Will Smith, and after I found out that The Alchemist become his favorite e-book, I simply knew I had to examine it.

The Alchemist Review: What’s it about?

The tale is ready a young shepherd from the south of Spain who has a recurring dream about a finding a treasure. Believing that locating this treasure is his ‘destiny’ he leaves the comfort of home and travels into the African barren region to locate it. There’s not an excessive amount of I can inform you without spoiling the story, so let me depart you with some extracts so one can optimistically show you the form of message the writer hopes to percentage: “I’m the King of Salem,” the antique man said. “Why would a king be speaking with a shepherd?” the boy requested, awed and embarrassed. “For several reasons. But allow’s say that the maximum critical is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend.” The boy didn’t understand what a person’s “Personal Legend” changed into. “It’s what you've got continually desired to perform. Everyone, while they may be younger, is aware of what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is obvious and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for the whole thing they would really like to see manifest to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force starts to persuade them that it will be not possible for them to realise their Personal Legend.” … The antique guy associated that, the week earlier than, he have been pressured to appear before a miner, and had taken the form of a stone. The miner had deserted the whole lot to go mining for emeralds. For five years he were working a certain river, and had tested loads of thousands of stones looking for an emerald. The miner become about to present it all up, proper on the point whilst, if he were to study simply one extra stone – simply one extra – he might discover his emerald. Since the miner had sacrificed the whole lot to his Personal Legend, the old man decided to come to be worried. He transformed himself right into a stone that rolled as much as the miner’s foot. The miner, with all of the anger and frustration of his 5 fruitless years, picked up the stone and threw it aside. But he had thrown it with such pressure that it broke the stone it fell upon, and there, embedded in the broken stone, was the most lovely emerald inside the international. “People research, early of their lives, what's their purpose for being,” stated the antique man, with a sure bitterness. “Maybe that’s why they surrender on it so early, too. But that’s the manner it is.” … The boy reminded the antique man that he had stated some thing approximately hidden treasure. “Treasure is exposed by means of the force of flowing water, and it's far buried through the same currents,” said the old guy. “If you need to study your very own treasure, you will have to supply me one-tenth of your flock.” “What approximately one-10th of my treasure?” The vintage man seemed dissatisfied. “If you start out with the aid of promising what you don’t actually have but, you’ll lose your preference to paintings towards getting it.” The boy instructed him that he had already promised to offer one-10th of his treasure to the Gypsy. “Gypsies are specialists at getting human beings to try this,” sighed the vintage man. “In any case, it’s proper that you’ve discovered that the entirety in existence has its rate.” The old man returned the e book to the boy. “Tomorrow, at this same time, bring me a 10th of your flock. And I will let you know the way to discover the hidden treasure. Good afternoon.” And he vanished across the corner of the plaza.

This e-book left a huge influence on me. While analyzing through the e-book you could tell that the author is smart, that he has lived a long term, because of the messages he stocks thru the characters in his story. It’s nearly as though, while you’re analyzing it, you may imagine your grandfather telling it to you as if it’s a tale from his youth. I constantly idea that novels were a waste of time due to the fact you in no way analyze any “real existence” classes from them, however this e book subsequently proved me wrong. The story itself is unique. Even after I became eight I never had an creativeness pretty like the author’s. There were a few instances where I significantly couldn’t sleep, studying impatiently within the nightime to find out what took place subsequent. Now you may ask, what is an alchemist? From what I understood, an alchemist is like a magician chemist who can flip any metallic into gold. But at some point of the tale and the look for the alchemist, I felt like this was more a metaphor for lifestyles in popular. If we follow our own “Personal Legends” we will perform the same magic – turn our everyday lives into gold, so long as we believe in the journey and don’t give up on what we believe is our destiny. If you’re searching out suggestion, this tale brings it in droves.

Final Comments

Like The Celestine Prophecy, The Alchemist weaves self-empowering and nonsecular truths into an impossible to resist story, entire with a captivating finishing. Readers who've devoured conventional literature may find it a piece glib and the characterization shallow (the same criticism can be fabricated from Celestine). But recollect that it became written as a delusion, and has the fable's simplicity. So tons of the self-help literature is set 'pursuing our destiny', however goals do now not always pull us alongside by means of their own force. It takes braveness, and canine-eared, stained copies of Coelho's conventional have turn out to be the consistent companion of humans wanting to make fearless decisions every day in order to keep real to a bigger vision. As properly as being a terrific story, this book is a fictional opportunity to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Works cited

  1. Coelho, P. (1987). The Alchemist. HarperCollins.
  2. Coelho, P. (1990). Brida. HarperCollins.
  3. Coelho, P. (1998). The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels. HarperCollins.
  4. Coelho, P. (2003). Eleven Minutes. HarperCollins.
  5. Coelho, P. (2014). Adultery. Knopf.
  6. Coelho, P. (2016). The Spy. Knopf.
  7. Piazza, E. (2008). Paulo Coelho: A Warrior's Life: The Authorized Biography. HarperCollins.
  8. Barreto, L. C. (2008). The pilgrimage: A contemporary tale. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 27(4), 573-575.
  9. Correa, M. P. (2011). The alchemist by Paulo Coelho: A path to success in life. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(8), 222-228.
  10. El Saadawi, N. (2009). Review: The Alchemist. World Literature Today, 83(2), 79-80.
Updated: Feb 02, 2024
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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: Book Review. (2024, Feb 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-alchemist-by-paulo-coelho-book-review-essay

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