Sunday, April 18, 2004
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
I have always been slightly worried about works that are translated from the original language in which they are written. How much does the story change? How much of the poetry of the original prose is lost? But I think with this book translation was not a significant problem. The complexity is not in the prose itself - which is in fact very simple - but in the ideas and concepts that it tackles.
(Note - It has been a number of weeks since I read this so I may be a bit inaccurate in the exact details)
The book follows the travels of a Spanish shepherd whose determination and single mindedness in searching for his heart's desire eventually leads him into the African desert. He keeps an open mind and reads the portents that are given to him to lead him in his life. The story is amazing simple yet it is filled with thought provoking philospohical tidbits. As I rushed through it reasonably quickly the first time, it is definitely something that I will need to re-read.
There are a number of quotes that I enjoyed enough to transcribe. I will list these here as I think there is less chance of me losing them here then on the scrap of paper where they currently reside. Some of the meaning is eroded as I have had to place these out of the context in which they occur within the book.
The darkest hour of night comes just before the dawn.
When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.
Your eyes show the strength of your soul.
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
Death doesn't change anything.
Each thing performs its own exact function as a unique being, and everything would be a symphony of peace if the hand that wrote all this haad stopped on the fifth day of creation.
When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.
Definitely worth a re-read.
(Note - It has been a number of weeks since I read this so I may be a bit inaccurate in the exact details)
The book follows the travels of a Spanish shepherd whose determination and single mindedness in searching for his heart's desire eventually leads him into the African desert. He keeps an open mind and reads the portents that are given to him to lead him in his life. The story is amazing simple yet it is filled with thought provoking philospohical tidbits. As I rushed through it reasonably quickly the first time, it is definitely something that I will need to re-read.
There are a number of quotes that I enjoyed enough to transcribe. I will list these here as I think there is less chance of me losing them here then on the scrap of paper where they currently reside. Some of the meaning is eroded as I have had to place these out of the context in which they occur within the book.
The darkest hour of night comes just before the dawn.
When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.
Your eyes show the strength of your soul.
There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
Death doesn't change anything.
Each thing performs its own exact function as a unique being, and everything would be a symphony of peace if the hand that wrote all this haad stopped on the fifth day of creation.
When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.
Definitely worth a re-read.
