As promised, this week I changed course (dramatically) from crime scenes to philosophy and alchemy in the desert. I've never read a book by the famous Paulo Coelho and I don't know if The Alchemist is such a good book to start with because it is quite childish and language use is simple at times. Also, I'm not a fan of philosophy in general and stories about the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixer of Life don't particularly excite me.
I don't like reading translated books anyway. Coelho of course is Brazilian so he wrote it in Portugese. If anything I'd like to read the book the way it was went to be read. In Portugese... But I swallowed my pride and I succumbed to the pull he has over other people. Since this book "was originally written in Portuguese and has since been translated into 67 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. It has sold more than 65 million copies in more than 150 countries, becoming one of the best-selling books in history." (Wikipedia)
The story is about a boy from Spain who has chosen to lead a shepherd's life and travel all around Spain to find new interesting things. He has a recurring dream about a Pyramid and a big treasure within this Pyramid. At first he ignores these dreams, but when he meets a King one day who tells him to sell his sheep and be on his way to Egypt with the use of omens along the way, he does. This novel is about his voyage and the people he meets on his way.
Not very enthralling and I don't know if I'd touch another Coelho book, especially if they're thicker than this short novel. I guess the only way to find out is by looking at omens and listening to my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment