Book Description

La mÁgica historia de Paulo Coelho, que trata sobre Santiago, un niÑo pastor andaluz que viaja en busca de un tesoro material, nos enseÑa la importancia que tiene el saber eschuchar lo que nos dice el corazÓn, a aprender a leer los presagios dispersados por el camino de nuestras vidas y, sobre todo, a seguir nuestros sueÑos.El Alquimista, ahora por primera vez disponible en EspaÑa en Norte America, ha sido aclamado en EspaÑa y en America Latina como una de las novelas mas importantes de la dÉcada.


Language Notes
Text: Spanish (translation)
Original Language: Portugese


About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city where he now lives. His own life has in many ways been as varied and unusual as the protagonists of his internationally acclaimed novels. Like them, Paulo Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." He was 38 when he published his first book. In 1970, after deciding that law school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he began a successful career as popular songwriter. In 1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used for centuries by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral said to house the remains of St. James, he achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage. Paulo Coelho once said that following your dream is like learning a foreign language; you will make mistakes but you will get there in the end. In 1988, he published The Alchemist, a novel that explores this theme, and it launched him as an international bestselling author. Specifically, Paulo Coelho is recognized for his powerful storytelling technique and the profound spiritual insights he blends seamlessly into his parables. Since then, The Alchemist has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into some 41 languages. In addition to The Pilgrimage and The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho has written luminous novels about the different streams of our lives, including By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept, The Valkyries, The Fifth Mountain, and Veronika Decides to Die. A winner of numerous literary prizes, Paulo Coelho is also a prominent speaker for humanitarian causes. In 1999, he received a Crystal Award for Artistic Achievement at the Davos Economic Forum Conference. Paulo Coelho naci#243; en Brasil y es uno de los autores m#225;s le#237;dos internacionalmente. El Alquimista, su libro m#225;s famoso, ha vendido mas de 35 millones de copias en todo el mundo y ha sido traducido a cincuenta y cuatro idiomas. Ha recibido destacados premios y menciones internacionales como el Planetary Arts Award, el Crystal Award concedido por el foro Econ#243;mico Mundial y la prestigiosa distinci#243;n Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Legi#243;n d'Honneur del gobierno franc#233;s. Coelho escribe una columna semanal sindicada en el mundo entero. Actualmente, vive en Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

La mágica historia de Paulo Coelho, que trata sobre Santiago, un niño pastor andaluz que viaja en busca de un tesoro material, nos enseña a saber eschuchar lo que nos dice el corazón, a aprender a leer los presagios dispersos por el camino de nuestras vidas y, sobre todo, a sequir nuestros sueños.

El Alquimista, ahora disponible en español en Norteamérica, ha sido aclamado en América latina y en Españ como una de las novelas más importantes de la década.

Author Biography:

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the city where he now lives. His own life has in many ways been as varied and unusual as the protagonists of his internationally acclaimed novels. Like them, Paulo Coelho has followed a dream in a quest for fulfillment. His own dream, to be a writer, met with frustration throughout much of his early adult life, a time in which he worked at various professions, some of them materially rewarding but spiritually unfulfilling. "I always knew," he says, "that my Personal Legend, to use a term from alchemy, was to write." He was 38 when he published his first book.

In 1970, after deciding that law school was not for him, he traveled through much of South America, North Africa, Mexico, and Europe. Returning to Brazil after two years, he began a successful career as popular songwriter. In 1974, he was imprisoned for a short time by the military dictatorship then ruling in Brazil. In 1980, he experienced one of the defining moments of his life: he walked the 500-plus mile Road of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. On this ancient highway, used forcenturies by pilgrims from France to get to the cathedral said to house the remains of St. James, he achieved a self-awareness and a spiritual awakening that he later described in The Pilgrimage.