![]() On his journey from his small Andalusian town, he discovers far more than he initially expected. ![]() Why do I love this book so much? Well, it follows a young man as he strives to realise a dream. On his journey there, however, he constantly runs into unexpected obstacles. He is convinced that his mission is to get to Egypt for whatever treasure awaits him at the end of this conquest. The story starts as Santiago leaves behind his life as a shepherd in an attempt to travel to the Egyptian pyramids after having recurring dreams that something spectacular awaits him once he’s there. The novel follows a young Andalusian (Andalusia is a region in Spain which was home to the tapas style eating) shepherd called Santiago. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Paper Plus $25 Despite alchemy being an ancient branch of natural philosophy and proto-scientific tradition, to date, no efforts have produced true alchemy. The title “The Alchemist” is an interesting one as the practice of alchemy was a medieval chemical science and a philosophical practice of achieving transmutation of substances into another (i.e., base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold). Holding the Guiness World Record for a book that’s been translated into the most amount of languages, it has an impeccable reputation, particularly amongst celebrities and self-help enthusiasts such as Oprah Winfrey. It transcends two genres in the sense that it is a fictional book and follows an adventure, but with positive underlying messages that most people can relate to. The New York Times bestseller “The Alchemist,” although fictional, was actually commended as being “more self-help than literature” in that it really is full of messages and lessons which helps you to elevate your life. The third omen is the film adaptation of the book, which I have to watch now.Īsrar Chowdhury is Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University and the author of Echoes, a fortnightly column on SHOUT, The Daily Star.Diverging from my usual self-help book analysis and summaries, my favourite book is actually “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho which is a fictional novel unpacking heavy themes. Because the second omen happened, the third will happen now. Sarah was the second omen after seeing the Facebook post. I saw a Daily Star post on my news feed yesterday or the day before, which said that The Alchemist is going to be adapted as a film. The 200-year-old alchemist, or Paulo, himself, had a trick up their sleeve. ![]() I wondered if it would have the same effect this time. The Alchemist had made me superstitious the first time. She asked me to write about my experience the second time round. Sarah, the Editor of Daily Star Books, threw a proposition. I posted a photo on my Facebook profile that I had got the book from The Reading Cafe and will be reading for the first time in two decades. It was like I was meeting the Englishman for the first time.Īs the reading went on, little did I realise, a second omen was in the making. Still, I was cross with myself when Santiago met the Englishman. After getting to the two stones, Urim and Thummim, the first encounter with The Alchemist slowly started to come back. I had totally forgotten that the story starts with the Alchemist reading a book on Narcissus, where the story had been changed or adapted for the readers of the oasis. The old woman who interprets Santiago's dream Santiago Fatima the Alchemist and his falcon. I soon realised how much of the story I had forgotten. At the same time, it seemed like I was never here before. That feeling: I've been here before, and yet it seems new. Reading The Alchemist the second time round was like going through deja vu. ![]() Could this be the first omen again 21 years later? I told myself, let's read the book again. I got hold of a copy within minutes.Īlice in Wonderland, The Art of War, and The Prince are three books I revisit when I get time. Atik's bookstore is a 10 minutes' walk from my home. The sight of an orange cover once again caught my attention. Atikur Rahman of The Reading Cafe bookstore had posted about a book. A few weeks ago, I was staring at my news feed on Facebook.
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