Santiago is a young Spanish shepherd who dreams big dreams; or, rather, he is a restless dreamer who happens, for a while, to enjoy minding sheep. Having at first set out to become a priest, for which he had studied Latin, Spanish and theology, the youth manages to convince his father that what he really wants to do is to know the world. His father proves more accommodating than most, and so Santiago wins the freedom to pursue his dreams. The beauty, as well as the subtle cunning, of this gentle and profound parable lies in the grace of the prose and an episodic narrative which meanders without losing sight of its purpose. First published in 1983, it has since been translated into 42 languages, and more than 20 million copies in all languages have already been sold. At a time of hype and bad books enjoying cult status, this is a bestseller which actually deserves its success, and its Brazilian author happens to understand that readers want to think as well as be entertained. Achieving his destiny is not made too easy for our hero and Coelho's vivid tale, with its mix of magic, religion, adventure and reality, is all the more valuable for that.
