It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.
The Alchemist ~~  Paulo Coelho



I preface my review by saying I am amazed how wildly passionate people are in their feelings toward this novel ~~ regardless of whether they love or hate  The Alchemist. I’m one of those people who love it. But, I understand why people are so passionate in their dislike of this work.  Paul Coelho looks to inspire passion in people with The Alchemist. And he succeeds in doing so ~~ especially in those who are so passionate in their dislike of this book.



The Alchemist is a novel that combines an atmosphere of medieval mysticism with the voice of the desert -- dreams, symbols, signs, and adventure follow Santiago and the reader like echoes of ancient wise voices. With this symbolic novel Coelho states that we should not avoid our destinies, and urges people to follow their dreams, because to find our "Personal Myth" and our mission on Earth is the way to find God, meaning happiness, fulfillment, and the ultimate purpose of creation.



The novel tells the tale of Santiago, a boy who has a dream and the courage to follow it. After listening to "the signs" the boy ventures in his personal, journey of exploration and self-discovery, searching for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt. In his journey, Santiago sees the greatness of the world, and meets all kinds of exciting people like kings and alchemists. However, by the end of the novel, he discovers that "treasure lies where your heart belongs", and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired.



As the alchemist himself says when he appears to Santiago in the form of an old king "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". This is the core of the novel's theme. Isn't it true that all of us want to believe the old king when he says that the greatest lie in the world is that at some point we lose the ability to control our lives, and become the pawns of fate.



Coelho also suggests that those who do not have the courage to follow their “Personal Myth", are doomed to a life of emptiness, misery, and unfulfillment. Fear, fear of failure seems to be the greatest obstacle to happiness. The old crystal-seller tragically confesses: “I am afraid that great disappointment awaits me, and so I prefer to dream". This is where Coelho really captures the drama of man, who sacrifices fulfillment to conformity, who knows he can achieve greatness but denies doing so, and ends up living an empty shell of a life.



The Alchemist is a novel that will not appeal to everybody. Not everyone will identify with Santiago. We all have dreams, and are praying for somebody to tell us they can come true. The novel skillfully combines words of wisdom, philosophy, and simplicity of meaning and language, and this is what makes it so enchanting.

عندما تسمع عن روايه ترجمت لاكثر من 60 لغه وبيع منها اكثر من 70 مليون
نسخه
ينسج خيالك عليها انها روايه عظيمه وتتوقع منها اشياء مهمه
��ذا العمل ��قبع فى مكتبتى منذ اكثر من عام ولا ادرى ما سبب اهمالها كل هذا الوقت ولا ادرى سبب معين لقرائتى لها
ولكن المهم انى قرأتها : احسست بضحاله شديده وانا اقرأها وجدتها سطحيه ومبتذله
لا ادرى هل رأيت انها مبالغ فى قيمتها الادبيه ام ان المشكله توجد فى انها خذلت طموحى الشخصى فى فحواها
لا ادرى . حقا لا ادرى
اهو مبالغه شديده من الكاتب لكى يوهم القارئ بانه جاء مخلصا له وناصحا له على طريقة معينه فى حياته (من قرأ فى التنميه البشريه سوف يفهم قصدى) وهو غالبا ما وجدت الابتذال فيه
واحقاقا للحق انا متفهم جدا مبيعاتها المهوله لانها ببساطه قدمت للقارئ ما يريده بالضبط من نصائح وووو

(Throwback Review)"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Many people simply love this book, while many others think that it is overrated. I truly, madly, and deeply love this book. I still remember a younger version of me reading this book while sitting perplexed at the crossroads of my life. The above lines from it had given me immense energy to face the setbacks and move forward in my life with the required enthusiasm. This book will always remain close to my heart. This is a must-read one if you are looking for a simple book that will inspire you and change your life.

„Se pot înșela 15 milioane de cititori? Sigur că se pot înșela” (John Sutherland).

Paulo Coelho amestecă într-o povestire compozită şi confuză: mitul lui Narcis (din Ovidiu, Metamorfoze, III), povestea saltimbancului de la Notre Dame (după Le jongleur de Notre Dame a lui Anatole France), apologul hasidic despre rabinul Aizik din Cracovia, fiul lui Jekel, din culegerea lui Martin Buber (apolog care poate fi citit, sub o formă uşor modificată, şi în cartea celor o mie de nopţi şi încă o noapte), cîteva fragmente din tratate de alchimie, sentenţe din Evanghelii, cogitaţii private etc. Cum vedem, procedeul predilect este rescrierea. Dar rezultatul nu este cîtuşi de puţin impresionant.

Cartea este o confecţie previzibilă şi, în acelaşi timp, exact produsul de care are nevoie omenirea spre a ieşi din ignoranță și confuzie mintală...

P. S. Citez o dedicație a lui Paulo Coelho, cu ocazia descinderii în București, acum 17 ani: „Follow your Star, Gigi, follow your Star...”.

I feel like everyone LOVES this book, but I was kind of underwhelmed. I know that translation affects the quality of writing, but I could not get into this writing style. At all. I felt like it was totally affected and contrived. He was going for this "fable/parable" style, but it seemed to fail miserably. The parable-like quality was totally contrived, and I thought the "moral" was pretty stupid.

Moral: everything you want and need is close to home. Take chances. Follow your "personal legacy."

Then....there was a supernatural element which was just plain dumb. Granted, I am not religious. I think god-fearing people get more out of this bc they can take that leap of faith, excuse the phrase. If this was supposed to be a story of magic, I may have been into it. But it was supposed to be a simple story of knowing yourself. And I think, philosophically speaking, when you truly know yourself that is when you truly realize your destiny. Why do you need supernatural forces to convey that message? This was about realizing your destiny, or "personal legacy." It could have been done without the hocus pocus, and, yes, the cheese.

In short, the book attempted to be deep and failed. "Speaking with the wind and the sun" and "being a shepherd" and getting over "personal hardship" all as part of a transparent "higher plan" (read: personal legacy) doesn't make a plot deep. A character simply called "boy" and short sentences doesn't make a story a fable. Learning from your flocks and from nature doesn't make a character inexplicably wise. I really got nothing out of this book.

It is short though. The book came very highly recommended. Read it to judge the hype for yourself. After all, a whole nation, including Bill Clinton (who I'm into), thought it was a touching account that personally changed them. Then again, this is the same country who thought The Celestine Prophesy was worthwhile. Gag.

- ذاكرتي لا تساعدني الآن ... لكني قرأت هذه الرواية في مكان آخر
____ ا
ابريل 2018

قرأتها منذ عامين، وانا اقرأها كنت احس بأنني اعرف روحية النص وبأنني قرأته في مكان آخر..... وبعد سنتين كنت اقرأ بعض الصفحات من "الف ليلة وليلة"، فعرفت اين قرأت "الخيميائي" ولماذا كان ذلك الإحساس بروحية النص، فدافع البغدادي (الف ليلة وليلة) في رحلته هو الحلم (مثل سانتياغو في الخيميائي)، سافر البغدادي الى مصر (وكذلك فعل بطل كويلو)، تعرض البغدادي للمخاطر والتنكيل به (وكذلك بطل كويلو)، تكذيب الحلم والإستهزاء بصاحبه (الوالي عندما يتكلم مع البغدادي في الف ليلة وليلة، والزعيم لسانتياغو في الخيميائي وهو يحفر النفق)، الحلم المضاد (الوالي للبغدادي: هناك بيت في بغداد وصفه كذا وكذا فيه كنز (بمعناه)، والزعيم لسنتياغو: في اسبانيا كنيسة يرعى فيها الرعيان..الخ (نفس الكنيسة التي كان يرعى بها سانتياغو)، العودة وايجاد الكنز (في كلا القصتين) و "الف ليلة وليلة قبل الخيميائي بمئات السنين!!!!

I made it through a few pages before throwing it across the room. Then I picked it up, skimmed a few more pages and threw it in the bin. Then I washed my brain, eyes and fingers with bleach. Belongs with things like The Secret in the deepest depths of Book-Hell.

A good parable--like "The Prodigal Son"--should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The problem with this little book is that it does precisely the opposite.

Coelho's message--and, boy, is this a book with a message--is that each of us has his own Personal Legend, and that if we recognize that legend and pursue it sincerely, everything in the Universe (which is after all made up--wind, stone, trees--of the same stuff we are) will conspire to help us achieve it. Corollaries: 1) people who don't recognize their legends are never happy, 2) people who fail to realize their legends are afraid, and 3) people who refuse to pursue their legends, even when they know what they are, are both unhappy and afraid. (I admit I've left out a nuance or two here and there, but not many. There aren't more than three or four nuances in the book.)

I fear that the result of taking such a message seriously will be to make the successful even more self-satisfied, the narcissistic more self-absorbed, and the affluent more self-congratulatory. At the same time, those who are unfortunate will blame themselves for their bad fortune, those who lack self-esteem will lose what little they have, and the poor will see--no, not God, as the beatitude says, but--the poor will see they have only themselves to blame.

Perhaps I am being too harsh. I can see how a few individual young persons, hemmed in by parental expectations and seeking their own paths, may find enough hope and courage here to help them venture forth. But I am convinced the damage done by books like this--like The Secret, The Celestine Prophecy, and anything ever written by the late Dr. Wayne Dyer (or, for that matter, anything he may ever choose to channel from beyond the grave)--is far greater than the little good they may achieve.

If you like parables, don't read this book. Go read a book of Hasidic tales collected by Martin Buber, a book of Sufi stories collected by Idries Shah, or a book of parables and sayings by Anthony de Mello instead.

Or then again, you could just try Jesus. Jesus is always good.

"The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."

What do I say about this book? It's simply not as great as it's talked about and not as bad as it's criticised about. The alchemist was quickly engaging and a short easy read. As a story, it was enjoyable, particularly the first third. Although there was a strong moral, as a self-help book.

I suggest reading it without any prejudice or high expectation. If you pick this book read it as a simple fictional story and take away the lesson according to your perspectives. The story is very limited to the idea of dreaming, exploring, and sacrifice et cetera, et cetera. So the takeaway can be very different for each individual.

n  You might like to check out more similar books here.n

Santiago is a shepherd who has a dream to go to the Great Pyramids of Egypt and there find buried treasure! The mysterious alchemist will help him on his quest.

I’ve heard enough about Paulo Coelho’s bestselling novel The Alchemist for so long that I finally decided to see what it was about for myself, and, perhaps predictably for a novel that unironically sells itself as being about “following your dreams”, it was full of craptacular pseudo-spiritual New Age bullshit.

As a novel, it’s super-boring. Santiago bumbles along an uninspired journey, selling sheep, selling glassware, meeting some unremarkable people and, of course, finding his “treasure”. Nothing about it grabbed me. Worse still was Coelho’s horrible writing style which mimics religious parables that were always boring as fuck to read those few times I attempted to read the Bible as a kid.

What makes it worse is the lofty prose believes its imparting valuable wisdom to the reader:

“When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.” (p.68)

And

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” (p.143)

Both of which are true but so banal and obvious to note as to be worthless.

Other statements are just plain dumb:

“People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need and want.” (p.77)

So if they’re incapable of achieving what they need and want, they should legitimately be afraid? How reassuring! Also:

“Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.” (p.132)

Which follows a scene where Santiago and the alchemist are caught in a conflict between warring desert tribes! If they saw thousands of armed men fighting, would it still not have been a threatening place if they had thought it wasn’t??

Alongside these patronising and idiotic platitudes, the novel pushes patronising and idiotic ideas like magical thinking - believe that good things will happen and they will - while using labels like Personal Legend (your identity/goals) and Soul of the World (???).

I understand that a lot of this story is symbolic but Coelho really has nothing new to say. It’s the journey not the destination, love not money, etc. Really, that’s all you’ve got - this is what impresses so many readers?

Besides being stunned at the trite and vapid messaging, I was barely engaged by The Alchemist which was simply an unimaginative, tedious read through and through - about as profound as a fortune cookie and equally as forgettable.

I really disliked this book. I dislike it in the way that I dislike a great deal of modern self help books. Their basic message is that if you want something to happen, you need to want it as hard as you can, without caring about anything else, not allowing yourself to doubt it, or let criticisms will get in the way then it will happen.
I disagree with this notion, not only because it is false, but because it is bad.
Just because we desire something, does not make it good. This idea of 'following your heart' is often wrong. Who are we to be the arbiters of truth? Why should our hearts be sources of information that go beyond logic, doubt and reasoning? Haven't we all desired things that have turned out to not be in our best interest, or to be harmful to others? Andrew Jackson was a man known to have a lot of integrity. He was always 'true' to himself and followed his heart. Andrew Jackson is the man who initiated the 'Trail of Tears'. Moving Native Americans from their homes and into reservations.
Next, this idea of not letting ourselves doubt or consider doubts. This is a terrible and dishonest way to live. If we don't consider doubts, and entertain them often, then we are deliberately blinding ourselves. Deliberately making ourselves ignorant. If someone doesn't give serious consideration to the idea that they may be wrong. Give serious thought to why they believe what they do, and that perhaps those who doubt them may be correct, then they are behaving in a dangerous and dishonest way.
Not giving heed to the concerns doubts and criticisms of others is something I believe is a major fault in modern society. Often, people fail to recognize the needs of the group and the community. We place so much emphasis on the needs and rights of the individual. This causes people to focus so much on themselves to the detriment of others around them. At times, it can be beneficial to go against the group, but one should first give serious consideration to the groups concerns.

According to Ideas like the Alchemist, groups like, the Westboro Baptist Church,(godhatesfags.com) should be seen as American heroes. These are people who take a totally irrational stance, and stick to it as hard as they can in complete defiance to the views of everyone around them.

البحث عن الاسطورة الذاتية .. ان الانسان يفضل مؤمن باحلامه و اهدافه مهما حصل و طول الطريق هيلاقي علمات و اشارات

لازم الثقة في النفس البشرية انها لازم توصل

الحب مش في كل الاحوال "بيعطل الانسان عن احلامه و اهدافه " زي شخصية فاطمة في الرواية

انها انتظرته و كانت مؤمنه هي كمان باحلامه و اهدافه و مؤمنة اكتر انه لازم يوصل و يحققها
و الثقة الاكبر انها هيرجعلها مهما انتظرته

الرواية متشبعة بكم رائع من الحكم و المقولات الحكيمة

و ترجمة بهاء طاهر لم تفسد الرواية بل على العكس رائعة

انصح بقرائتها ^_^