The Alchemist     by Paulo Coelho, Translated by Alan R. Clarke Original title: O Alquimista Original language: Portuguese Country: Brazil   Publisher Unknown Pub. Place: UK List Price: £5.99 Not available for ordering Publisher Unknown Pub. Place: UK List Price: £6.99 Not available for ordering Published by Harper San Francisco Pub. Date: 1993 Pub. Place: USA Format: 177 pages Not available for ordering Published by Hall: Thorndike ME (Large Print) Pub. Place: usa Format: 207 pages Not available for ordering

Something like Kahlil Gilbran’s The Prophet but less mystical in its language, this is a book of ‘lessons for living’, in the form of a young man’s journey from initial poverty and ignorance to the acquiring, after many tests and trials, of a degree of wisdom, experience and contentment. The principal theme is of discovering and staying true to one’s destiny. It is directed at those determined to break out of an inherited niche in the world and who want somehow to excel and achieve more than the acceptable, mediocre minimum in life.

It is a thoughtful book full of genuinely wise points; for example, that ‘every blessing ignored becomes a curse’ and that intuition is ‘immersion in the universal current of life’. Coelho wants us to understand how to connect to landscapes, real and metaphorical (‘one must love the desert, but never trust it completely. Because the desert tests all men; it challenges every step and kills those who become distracted’), and to people (‘there was a language in the world that everyone understood... the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose.’).

An authentically inspirational book; if you need inspiration or are setting out on a new tack, The Alchemist could be a great support, with its truths and its warnings.

They crossed the desert for another two days in silence. The alchemist had become much more cautious, because they were approaching the area where the most violent battles were being waged. As they moved along the boy tried to listen to his heart.

It was not easy to do; in earlier times, his heart had always been ready to tell its story, but lately that wasn’t true. There had been times when his heart spent hours telling of its sadness, and at other times it became so emotional over the desert sunrise that the boy had to hide his tears. His heart beat fastest when it spoke to the boy of treasure, and more slowly when the boy stared entranced at the endless horizons of the desert. But his heart was never quiet, even when the boy and the alchemist had fallen into silence.

‘Why do we have to listen to our hearts?’ the boy asked. when they had made camp that day.

‘Because wherever your heart is that is where you’ll find your treasure.’

‘But my heart is agitated,’ the boy said. ‘It has its dreams,. it gets emotional. and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.’

‘Well, that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.’ 134-5