O Alquimista
1988
- translations into indonesian
- voyages and travels
- fiction
- portuguese fiction
- self-realization
- alchemists
- young men
- shepherds
- nyt:trade_fiction_paperback=2008-01-05
- nyt:trade_fiction_paperback=2007-12-02
The story
The Alchemist details the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids of Egypt to find treasure. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king named Melchizedek who tells him that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motif of the book.
What it’s like
Sun-drenched and unhurried, with wide open landscapes: sheep grazing on bare hillsides, the glare of desert noon, the blue-gold hush of a caravan at dusk. Coelho's prose is plain, lucid and aphoristic, the sentences short and warm, often pausing to offer a gently spoken truth about dreams, omens and the soul. The mood is earnest, hopeful and quietly mystical, a fable-like wistfulness with a bright undertone of wonder. It suits a slow Sunday afternoon, a long train ride, or a reread on a sleepless night when you want something soothing and encouraging. Pacing is brisk and episodic, moving from one town, oasis or chance encounter to the next, and the emotional arc follows a young shepherd learning to trust his instincts and take risks for what he wants. Violence is present but brief and largely offstage, with occasional threats, robbery and a war scene that stays impressionistic; romance is chaste and tender, with no sexual content. It is for readers who want an uplifting, reflective story about purpose and courage, told in a gentle, parable-like voice.
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