The Alchemist

A Fable about Following Your Dream

Paperback, 192 pages

English language

Published Sept. 23, 1993 by HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-06-250218-6
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

4 stars (6 reviews)

The Alchemist (Portuguese: O Alquimista) is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. An allegorical novel, The Alchemist follows a young Andalusian shepherd in his journey to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream of finding a treasure there.

24 editions

reviewed The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Read this at just the right time

5 stars

I have read many critical reviews of this book and I can absolutely see the reasons why so many people dislike it. For me, however, the book came at just the right time of my life, and it had a huge impact on me.

You see, The Alchemist is about following your dream. In my case, I felt stuck in a life that didn't suit me at all, unable to move. This book comes with a certain naivety that is liberating. The kind that says, it doesn't matter, just go for it. Yes that sounds like a recipe for disaster for some people, especially since some events in the books might seem to have a rather dubious meaning. But for me it was a lifesaver. And most of the more rational books that I read as well did no remotely have the same effect. The book might suggest to stop …

Subjects

  • Alchemists -- Fiction.
  • Shepherds -- Spain -- Andalusia -- Fiction.
  • Andalusia (Spain) -- Fiction.