Alchemist Paula Coelho

The AlchemistPaulo Coelho

Dreams, symbols, signs, and adventure follow the reader like echoes of ancient wise voices in "The Alchemist", a novel that combines an atmosphere of Medieval mysticism with the song of the desert. With this symbolic masterpiece 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, Ulysses-like journey of exploration and self-discovery, symbolically searching for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt. When he decides to go, his father's only advice is "Travel the world until you see that our castle is the greatest, and our women the most beautiful". 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. "The Alchemist", is an exciting novel that bursts with optimism; it is the kind of novel that tells you that everything is possible as long as you really want it to happen. That may sound like an oversimplified version of new-age philosophy and mysticism, but as Coelho states "simple things are the most valuable and only wise people appreciate them". 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 philosophy and a motif that echoes behind Coelho's writing all through "The Alchemist". And isn't it true that the whole of humankind desperately wants 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. Perhaps this is the secret of Coelho's success: that he tells people what they want to hear, or rather that he tells them that what they wish for but never thought possible could even be probable.

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 of failure seems to be the greatest obstacle to happiness. As 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 to do so, and ends up living a life of void. It is interesting to see that Coelho presents the person who denies to follow his dream as the person who denies to see God, and that "every happy person carries God within him". However, only few people choose to follow the road that has been made for them, and find God while searching for their destiny, and their mission on earth. Consequently, is Coelho suggesting that the alchemists found God while searching for the elixir of life and the philosopher's stone? What is certain is that the symbolism of the text is a parallel to the symbolism and the symbolic language of alchemism, and similarly the symbolism of dreams is presented as " God's language". It is also symbolic that Santiago finds his soul-mate, and the secrets of wisdom in the wilderness of the desert. The "wilderness" is a symbol that has been used by many great writers e.g.. Austen in "Mansfield Park", and Shakespeare in "King Lear". In the desert, Santiago meets his "twin-soul" and discovers that love is the core of existence and creation. As Coelho explains, when we love, we always try to improve ourselves, and that's when everything is possible. The subject of love inspires a beautiful lyricism in Coelho's writing: " I love you because the whole universe conspired for me to come close to you." "The Alchemist" is a novel that may appeal to everybody, because we can all identify with Santiago: all of us have dreams, and are dying for somebody to tell us that they may come true. The novel skillfully combines words of wisdom, philosophy, and simplicity of meaning and language, which makes it particularly readable and accounts for its bestselling status.


By the River Piedra I Sat Down and WeptPaulo Coelho

“By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept” is another novel by Coelho that proves that love is not an obstacle to materializing one’s dreams, but a force urging the lovers to conquer their dreams and thus find God. Coelho has once again used his successful formula when writing this novel: poetic prose, symbolism, an air of mysticism, and his usual “follow your dream” theme. Just like “The Alchemist”, “By the river Piedra…” is a story about a journey symbolizing the route towards self-discovery. “By the river Piedra…”, however, could more easily be described as a story of love, as it strives to show that “true love is an act of total surrender”. At a deeper level, Coelho also gives the message that as there are no rules when it comes to love, there are no rules when it comes to worshiping God: “to love is to be in communion with the other, and to discover in that other the spark of God”. In this best-selling novel Coelho talks about a long-forgotten aspect of God: His feminine side, the so-called “Goddess”. The feminine face of God has been, as Coelho explains, present in every religion on the face of the earth: paganism (Great Mother), the ancient fertility goddess, Isis, the Virgin Mary. This Goddess, presented as generator of all life, is present in the love the two main characters feel for each other. It is as if Her presence haunts their relationship. The monk turned Goddess-worshiper at first thinks he’s faced with the dilemma of staying with the woman he loves and abandoning the life that fulfils him, or venturing on his planned mission to change the world. In the end he discovers that a choice need not be made: to love a woman is to love life itself. The love between the couple is one that develops, and it goes through many levels: the childhood love, love hidden behind the bars of inhibition and oppressed feeling when they reunite, the liberated love whereby Pilar regains her “faith” and changes her philosophy on life, and whereby her lover decides to deny his nature and sacrifice his “gift” to have a normal life with Pilar, and the enlightened love which allows both lovers to conquer their dreams. Just like fear of failure prevented some people from achieving greatness in “The Alchemist”, fear of rejection prevented the lovers from expressing their love in “By the river Piedra…” The expulsion of this fear is vividly symbolized with the deliberate breaking of a glass at a restaurant. This gesture shows that to surrender to love we must break through our fears and break all the rules and formulae. Also, to convert to the faith of the Goddess, which is seen as heresy by many, one must see beyond everything one’s parents taught one about religion and the limits of life. When the glass is broken and the two lovers are liberated from all inhibition comes the kiss, the description of which is an excellent example of Coelho’s poetic style: “a kiss born by the rivers of our childhood when we didn’t yet know what love meant…in the moment of that kiss were years of searching, disillusionment and impossible dreams”. At an age when everything has been discovered, Coelho suggests that there are greater discoveries to be made: those of the spirit. The two lovers have made the discovery that all people can speak the language of angels and perform miracles. Now their mission is to let the whole world know, “and experience the agony and ecstasy of pioneers”. “By the river Piedra…” is an enjoyable love story that may also be seen as a metaphysical allegory. It is a characteristic sample of Coelho’s writing, and some questions are raised by the paradox of Coelho urging people not to use formulae in their lives and yet he once again uses the formula that gave him his best-selling status. Nevertheless, this novel, like all the novels he has written, is a delightful read which gives the reader a sense of much-needed faith in humankind.


Paulo Coelho (Rio de Janeiro, 1947) "Paulo Coelho is not only one of the most widely read but also one the most influential authors writting today" wrote the Bambi awards in Germany. "His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people" wrote The Times in UK. To date a total of 210 translations have been sold with sales totalling almost 43 million copies. In 55 languages and published in 140 countries of the world. Paulo Coelho has led an extreme life. Rebelliousness defined his youth. He was a hippie. He wrote popular song lyrics for some of Brazil's famous pop music stars, including Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. Shortly after, he worked as a journalist. In 1986 Paulo Coelho walked along the Road of Santiago, the ancient Spanish pilgrimage. He would later describe this experience in ‘The Pilgrimage’, published in 1987. The following year, with his second book ‘The Alchemist’, established his worldwide fame. The book is an authentic phenomenon.Other titles include ‘Brida’ (1990), ‘The Valkyries’ (1992), ‘Maktub’ (1994) - a compilation of his daily column, ‘By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept’ (1994), ‘The Fifth Mountain’ (1996), ‘The Manual of the Warrior of Light’ (1997); ‘Veronika Decides to Die’ (1998). His most recent novel, ‘The Devil and Miss Prym’ (2000), is a resounding success, in all the countries where it has been published to date. For 10 years Paulo Coelho's different titles have made the top places on the bestseller lists around the world. He was named the second best-selling author worldwide by the French magazine "Lire" (March 1999), a nomination based on information from several leading medias' bestseller lists. The critics have specially praised his poetic, realistic and philosophical style, and the symbolic language that does not speak to our brains, but to our hearts. In addition to the books, he writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world to several notable organizations. Paulo Coelho is the founder of the Paulo Coelho Institute, which provides support and opportunities for underprivileged members of the Brazilian society, especially children and elderly. He was appointed special advisor to the UNESCO program "Spiritual Convergences and Intercultural Dialogues" and he was recently appointed board member of the Schwab Foundation for social entrepreneurship. He was the first non-Muslim author to be invited to an exchange of ideas in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.On 25 July 2002, Paulo Paulo Coelho became a member of the prestigious Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL). The academy was founded 104 years ago, and the 40-member body makes the rules on how Portuguese is spelled and spoken.For more information about Paulo Coelho is available on http://www.paulocoelho.com/

Major Prizes and decorations:· "Best Fiction Corine International Award 2002" for The Alchemist (Germany 2002) · "Club of Budapest Planetary Arts Award 2002" as a recognition of his literary work (Germany 2002) · "Bambi 2001 Award" (Germany 2001) · "XXIII Premio Internazionale Fregene" (Italy 2001) · "Crystal Mirror Award" (Poland 2000) · "Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Lgion d'Honneur" (France 1999) · "Crystal Award" World Economic Forum (1999) · "Golden Medal of Galicia" (Spain, 1999) · Finalist for the "International IMPAC Literary Award" (Ireland, 2000 and 1997) · "Comendador de Ordem do Rio Branco" (Brazil 1998) · "Golden Book" (Yugoslavia '95, '96, '97, '98, '99 and 2000) · "Super Grinzane Cavour Book Award" (Italy 1996) · "Flaiano International Award" (Italy 1996) · "Knight of Arts and Letters" (France 1996) · "Prix Lectrices d'Elle" (France 1995) )
Figures · First book (1988): The Pilgrimage · Number of titles published to date: 13 (9 novels; 3 short stories; 2 adaptations )· Number of copies sold: approx. 43.000.000 · Rights sold in: 55 languages (As to September 2002)
Intimacies Greatest virtueI am a brave person. "He who dares, wins". Greatest failureLack of patience.Hobby/entertainmentWalking.Catalytic experienceI was close to the univers of madness.Source of inspiration People.Greatest fearSpeaking in public.Greatest hopeTo carry on with my writings.Next mountainThe one that happens to be in front of me.FriendsThe greatest treasure in life.WomenFrom them one learns love in all its forms.MenFrom them one learns discipline.TruthA treacherous word. The only definition of truth is the word of Jesus Christ: "You will know truth, and truth shall make you free!" TimeThe present moment.FameAn abstract notion for a writer.FortuneBehind fortune there is always tragedy.ImpossibleAgain, a misleading word. People let themselves get discouraged, not because things are impossible, but because we actually want them to be. But nothing is impossible.HappinessThe most mediocre thing in the world. I'd rather go by the idea of joy.WorkWork equals passion.BeautyThe honesty of the soul.SerenityIt is not absence of movement, but abosolute concentration..