The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - Research Paper Example

 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho       Paulo Coelho is one of the popular writers who was born in Rio de Janeiro a place in Brazil in 1947. All his writings are attracted to the people all over the world. He was educated in a Jesuit school and he had an ardent desire to become a writer from his childhood onwards. He was reluctant to observe the traditional way of life of his parents and consequently his parents admitted him in a mental institution. Even though he had undergone through such hardships in life, he never accuses anyone for happening these things. Instead he says that they did all these things with an intention to save him. He began to study in a law school according to his parent’s wishes ignoring his dream of becoming a writer but it did not continue for a long time. After one year he dropped out and he started to live like a hippie wandering in different countries like South America, Mexico, North Africa and many of the parts of Europe. In those times while he led a life of hippie he used to take drugs. Then he came back to Brazil and started to write lyrics for the singers such as Elis Regina, Ritha Lee etc. He was arrested by the ruling military government accusing that his lyrics would mislead the people since his idea is left wing and dangerous. He is a versatile person and he had experimented in many other fields and worked as journalist, actor and theatre director.  But he was awakened spiritually in 1980. Writing Career:       Paulo Coelho is an enlightened writer who began writing after so many years of experience in different fields of life. Some of his writings are Hell Archives, The Pilgrimage, The Alchemist, Brida, The greatest Gift, By the River Piedra I sat down and Wept, The fifth Mountain, Love Letters from a Poet, Veronica Decides to Die, Eleven Minutes, Revived Paths, Life: Selected Quotations and The Winner Stands Alone. Hell Archives which is the first book of Paulo Coelho was published in 1982 but it could not bring any kind of impact on the readers. He published The Pilgrimage in 1986 and after this he wrote one of the brilliant works - The Alchemist. Still now the people all over the world irrespective of anything are mad after this work. Alchemist is the one of the greatest creation of Paulo Coelho. “His books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, have been translated into 68 languages, and have been published in 150 countries” (Clarke 2009).       This manuscript drafts a thought on the derivation of insanity. In the course of the fates of four sanctuaries inmate’s insanity is noticed to consequence from the disagreement of our own wishes and the outlook of our esteemed ones, and compel in the directions of existing a "usual" life, the entire of which generate a terror of the exterior earth. The relationship between the real life and book life of the author is very much necessary to study. Very influentially, Coelho depicts familiarity as just a policy imposed by a popular. An asylum is a position where one can pay no attention to this policy, where one can liberally be "dissimilar", but the terror of realism perseveres. In manuscript called the Alchemist, the haven is troubled by Veronika's awaiting demise, and a number of the inmates are enforced to countenance this terror. The above mentioned thing was happened in the case of the book experiences of the author. But at the same time in fact Coelho has himself been dedicated to a refuge in his real life. It appeared like a peaceful, secure place. This book called the Alchemist has a very optimistic and positive tone all the way through it, it is supporting, comforting. Veronika's will of existence in the appearance of death is similar to somebody working harder to get together a time limit. The Alchemist is an amazingly straightforward and very simple story of a youthful shepherd who pursues his dreams and imagining of treasure and meets many practices and citizens, learning understanding and existence education alongside the method. Paulo Coelho has competently rushed numerous bits of fact and understanding on the subject of existence into this work of art, and it is an accurate enjoyment to understand writing. Just similar to it educates, it is not the end, other than the trip by way of the book called the Alchemist that count.              Coelho's disobedient manners guide his close relative s to have him restrained to a psychological sanatorium in Rio de Janeiro where he received a various treatment to like shock and all. And also from the hospital he escaped and was come back – to the hospital three times. By way of the onset of the 1960's Coelho chucked himself actively into the counterculture of various immoral activates like drugs and rock-and-roll. This the starting point of his career. “In his 20's he fulfilled his ambition to be a writer and worked as a playwright, a theatre director, a journalist, and a song-writer for Brazilian pop music stars such as Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. In 1974, says Coelho "my life collapsed". That year he was arrested three times, the first time as an innocent bystander at a bank robbery, the second time for speaking out against the establishment at a pop concert. After being released by the police he was arrested a third time by paramilitaries who tortured” (Southon 2010). The Alchemist turns out to be an instantaneous best- retailer and has in view of the fact that wholesaled over 11 million reproductions universal. And also Coelho's has almost eight books have sold in excess of 37 million reproductions in 56 tongues and have been in print in 140 states. In 1998 the French publication 'Lire' scheduled Coelho as the subsequent best-selling novelist global. “Paulo Coelho has won over 15 international awards for   his writing including the prized French award, the Insignia of Arts and Letters (1996). Critics have praised his writing for its "symbolic language that does not speak to our brains, but to our hearts” (Southon 2010). The Novel: The Alchemist is a symbolic novel by Paulo Coelho initially put forth for the public reading and which has turned out to be the rocking one in the minds of humans in the year 1988. It is considered today as a contemporary classic. The Alchemist novel was had its origin in Portuguese language, which was further translated into 56 languages by all well known writers, the all authors who had taken up the work has proved their linguistic skills to the maximum and had made the novel heart touching and eye catching on in the minds of each and every reader. It is the only book in the history of the literature for winning the Guinness record for the maximum transactions done. The sales of the books lead to the about 65 million copies in 180 countries, it is also considered as the best books ever sold in the history of the book sales.  The Alchemist novel mainly depicts the voyage of a young Andalusia shepherd guy called Santiago. Santiago, believe a recurring dream to be visionary, make a decision to trek to the pyramid and the ancient monasteries of Egypt in search of  the treasure. On the journey to the pyramids situated in the interiors of Egypt, he meets love, risk, chance and tragedy. In the novel throughout, the noteworthy characters that he come across is an elderly king who convey to him that when he is in need of something, you should take up the challenge and the whole universe stands with him in order to achieve his needs, this is the inbuilt philosophy and the message conveyed in the book, for the ones who are loosen hearted or one with shattered hopes. The Alchemist is the supernatural story of Santiago, an Andalusia shepherd child who desire to voyage in exploration of a sophisticated treasure as profligate as any forever found. The journey of the guy commences from the home in Spain to the markets of Tangiers and crossways to the Egyptian arid region to a significant stumble upon with the alchemist. The story of the riches Santiago find along the way teach us, as simply a little novels encompass today, about the necessary understanding of eavesdropping to our hearts, knowledge to interpret the omens scattered beside the life's path, and, higher than all, subsequent to the dreams. Santiago is directed by his imaginings and by omens which come into view to him all through his expedition. Santiago is told that the people are frightened to follow their dreams as the facts they experience don’t justify them, or they are not able to achieve them.  The novel incorporates thoughts and philosophy of numerous devotion and past period. Many of the ideas unease the search of truth, one’s planned fortune and the achievement of individual happiness. Coelho finds them as the mutual elements as one’s “private tale”. Author narrates the tale of Santiago in order to educate the various ways to live out the Personal Legends.. The various religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Christianity, Judaism, immeasurable ethnic cultures, beside to the ideas of ancient and recent philosopher, all effort to classify the thought of an individual’s Personal Legend ,which can be mentioned in numerous names. It is mainly emphasized that there are pledged path in attaining individual fulfillment. it is concerning all trust and philosophy.  Story and life: The story and the life of the author can be said to be synonyms in one way or the other, because the author is friend of dreams, fate, devotion and beliefs. The investigating of the author’s childhood itself gives a clear picture about the various kinds of the dreams and the desires, the desire of the young Paul was to become a writer, but the parents forced him to take up the classes from the Jesuit. The instances in his life came as a tragedian one and he was admitted to the mental institutions, but the agony faced by him was not taken granted by him and he never bothered to make a curse on his life, he believed that all the people are guided by a guiding light or star and the fate is the one which can act much in the various course of actions in a person’s life. “He worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The Alchemist”. (Coelho 2008). According to him it is the desire that shapes an individual in the various courses of life, the novel speaks about the bad and the good instances he had in his life, Coelho had wandered in his life as a hippie and taken drugs and they all had a deadline till his fame as a eminent novelist. The checking of the various quotes by the Paul Coelho gives us the clear idea of him as a visionary and a devotee; “you can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.”  (Paulo Coelho quotes, 2010). The reading of the books give the confidence to any of the people and it creates a feeling of the need and the necessity for the dreams and the desires in the life of the people and how the use of the dreams can make the dreams of the persons a success. The author is also much interested in the various kinds of the activities and the charities for the people; he along his better half had started many trusts for the people, with keen intention to make them the best achievers in the world and in the life. Conclusion: The reading of the book gives a person a desire for the understanding of the dream, life, and the ways to achieve them despite the hardships in the life. The different idea and the insights from the view of the author is an eye opener for the readers. These are the various reasons why the writings of Paul Coelho are considered as the classics in the history of the linguistics.     Reference List  Coelho, P., 2008. The alchemist. [Online] Good reads. Available at: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/566.Paulo_Coelho [Accessed 13 November 2010].    Clarke, A. R., 2009. The Alchemist. [Online] Harper Collins Publisher. Available at: http://books.google.co.in/books?id=lz- [Accessed 13 November 2010].    Paulo Coelho quotes, 2010. [Online] Brainy Quote. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/paulo_coelho.html Southon, M., 2010. Writing made them rich #4: Paulo Coelho. [Online] Ezine Articles.Com. Available at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Writing-Made-Them-Rich-4:-Paulo-Coelho&id=3722 [Accessed 13 November 2010]. Read More