The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is a fictional story about a boy's search for happiness and the meaning of life. The novel explores love, fate, and spiritual enlightenment.

Fast Facts

1. Author: Paulo Coelho
2. Genre: Fiction
3. Publication Date: 1988 (Brazil); 1993 (United States)
4. Publisher: HarperCollins
5. ISBN 9780062502186
6. Pages: 192
7. Adaptations: Play, Film
8. Setting: Spain, Africa
9. International best seller
10. Translated into 56 languages
11. Compared to Antoine de Saint Exupéry's The Little Prince and Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

Plot Synopsis

Santiago, an Audalusian shepherd boy, has a dream telling him to go to a pyramid in Egypt to find treasure. He sells all his belongs and travels to Africa.

The story follows his adventures and travels and he learns about life where spiritual enlightenment.

Critical Reception

"Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book." — Powell Books

The Alchemist Quotes

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."

"You must always know what it is that you want."

"Don't forget that everything you deal with is only one thing and nothing else."

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand."

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