Synopses & Reviews
Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over two million copies sold in English and twenty-one million copies worldwide, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic that will enchant and inspire readers for generations to come.
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“As memorable and meaningful as Saint-Exuperys The Little Prince.” Austin American-Statesman
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“A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be.” M. Scott Peck
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“An adventure story full of magic and wisdom.” Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima
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“[This] Brazilian wizard makes books disappear from stores.” New York Times
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“A sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike.” Publishers Weekly
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“A magical little volume.” San Francisco Chronicle
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“A most tender and gentle story. It is a rare gem of a book.” Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., co-author of Change Our Mind, Change Your Life
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“A touching, inspiring fable.” Indianapolis Star
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“A beautiful story with a pointed message for every reader.” Joseph Girzone, author of Joshua
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“An entrepreneurial tale of universal wisdom we can apply to the business of our own lives.” Spencer Johnson, M.D., co-author of The One-Minute Manager
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“A remarkable tale about the most magical of all journeys: the quest to fulfill ones destiny.” Anthony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within
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“[His] books have had a life-enchanting effect on millions of people.” London Times
Synopsis
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of its readers forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world,
The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.
Paulo Coelhos masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.
The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along lifes path, and, above all, following our dreams.
About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city where he now lives. His own life has in many ways been as varied and unusual as the protagonists of his internationally acclaimed novels. Like them, Paulo Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." He was 38 when he published his first book.
In 1970, after deciding that law school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he began a successful career as popular songwriter. In 1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used for centuries by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral said to house the remains of St. James, he achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage.
Paulo Coelho once said that following your dream is like learning a foreign language; you will make mistakes but you will get there in the end. In 1988, he published The Alchemist, a novel that explores this theme, and it launched him as an international bestselling author. Specifically, Paulo Coelho is recognized for his powerful storytelling technique and the profound spiritual insights he blends seamlessly into his parables. Since then, The Alchemist has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages. In addition to The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho has written luminous novels about the different streams of our lives, including By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept, The Valkyries, The Fifth Mountain, and Veronika Decides to Die. A winner of numerous literary prizes, Paulo Coelho is also a prominent speaker for humanitarian causes. In 1999, he received a Crystal Award for Artistic Achievement at the Davos Economic Forum Conference.
Paulo Coelho nació en Brasil y es uno de los autores más leídos internacionalmente. El Alquimista, su libro más famoso, ha vendido mas de 35 millones de copias en todo el mundo y ha sido traducido a cincuenta y cuatro idiomas. Ha recibido destacados premios y menciones internacionales como el Planetary Arts Award, el Crystal Award concedido por el foro Económico Mundial y la prestigiosa distinción Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Legión d'Honneur del gobierno francés. Coelho escribe una columna semanal sindicada en el mundo entero. Actualmente, vive en Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.