নিখিল চন্দ্র মহন্ত
সহকারী শিক্ষক
২৯ মার্চ, ২০২৩ ০৮:৩৩ অপরাহ্ণ
The Alchemist
‘When you want something with all your heart, all the
universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.'
Book Review:
Book Name: The Alchemist
Original Title: O Alguimista
Author: Paulo Coelho
Country: Brazil
Language : Portuguese
Genre: Quest, Adventure, Fantasy
Published On: 1988 (English 1993)
Pages:163
Synopsis of the Book:
An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago dreams of a
treasure while in ruined church. He consults a Gypsy fortune teller about the
meaning of his recurring dream. The woman interprets it as a prophecy, telling
the boy that he will discover a treasure at the Egyptian Pyramid.
After Santiago sets out, he meets an old king Melchizedek
or the king of Salem who tells him to sell his sheep so as to travel to Egypt
and accomplish his personal legend. Early on his arrival in Africa, a man who
claims to be able to take Santiago to the Pyramids instead robs him of the
money he had from his flock. Then Santiago has to work for a crystal merchant
to earn enough to go to the Pyramids.
Along the way, the boy meets an English man who has come in
search of an Alchemist and continues his journey with his new companion. When
they reach an oasis, Santiago meets and falls in love with an Arabian girl
named Fatima, to whom he proposes marriage. She promises to marry him only
after he completes his journey. Being frustrated at first, he later learns that
true love will not stop nor must one sacrifice one's destiny to it, since to do
so robs it of truth.
The boy then encounters a wise Alchemist, who teaches him
to realize his true self. They made a journey through the territory of warring
tribes, where Santiago is forced to prove his oneness with the 'Soul of the
World' by turning Himself into a dust storm before he is allowed to proceed.
When the reaches the Pyramids ang begins digging, he is
robbed by thieves who asks him about his digging. In reply, he says that a
dream has led him to bury treasure. The thieves scoff, and the leader remarks
about a dream he once had about treasure under a tree at a ruined church.
Santiago realises the treasure he sought was where he had his original dream
all along.