The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho's short novel about a shepherd following his personal legend
Paulo Coelho's 1988 fable follows Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, on a journey to the Egyptian pyramids in search of a treasure he dreamed about. Along the way the story lays out its central idea: when you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you get it. It is short, plain in style and easy to read in a sitting. The book failed on first release in Brazil, was dropped by its publisher, and later sold tens of millions of copies in dozens of languages, a backstory that many of its fans find as motivating as the novel itself.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Mel RobbinsRecommends
Author and podcaster · The Let Them Theory
Calls it a must read, has given it as a gift and wrote about it in The 5 Second Rule. What moves her most is the backstory: the novel flopped on release in Brazil when Coelho was 41, the same age she was when she hit bottom.
Source: The Mel Robbins Podcast: 4 Books That Will Change Your Life
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Book entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.