Praises

Oprah Winfrey

Talk show host

“Though he doesn’t consider himself a spiritual guide, Paulo Coelho has been one of my great teachers. I still keep The Alchemist beside my bed and am always meeting others who do the same.”

Aaron Rodgers

American football player of NFL

"One of my favourite books and the first one I will recommend is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and it has been around for some time."

Pharrell Williams

Musician and song-writer

"The Alchemist changed my whole life. I realized of all of the people who had conspired to get me to this place."

Malala Yousafzai

Nobel Peace Prize 2014

[In response to "What’s the last truly great book you read?"]
"The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I like it because it is hopeful and inspiring. It tells the story of a boy who embarks on a journey to find a treasure, but as he goes along, he learns from every part of his journey and every person he meets. In the end, he finds his treasure in a very interesting place. His story tells you that you should believe in yourself and continue your journey.”

Shawn Mendes

Singer and songwriter

[In response to "What is a quote you live by?"]: "I really think you guys should read The Alchemist. I just read it and it changed my life!"

Ban Ki-moon

UN Secretary–General

“Mr. Coelho’s talent as a writer and his exceptional ability to touch the lives of men and women across boundaries and cultures makes him a powerful Messenger.”

Kensuke Hosomi

CEO of FamilyMart Co.,Ltd.

“The Alchemist is a masterpiece written in 30 years ago. It may show us a positive way of how to live in such a hard time under the COVID-19.”

Koki Machida

Footballer player

“This book [The Alchemist] gives me a hint on how to live my life.”

Kenzaburö Öe

Nobel Prize in Literature

“Paulo Coelho knows the secret of literary Alchemy.”

Gisele Bündchen

Model

[Recommending The Alchemist]: "I love this book because it is a story that is filled with lessons. It is a book that is a perfect gift because you will hold on to it for life to reread and share with others. The story builds faith and encourages the reader to follow their dreams like the young shepherd who discovers his true destiny. We all can relate to searching for our true purpose and then reflecting on that journey."

Neil Patrick Harris

Actor

“The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is a brilliant, magical, life-changing book that continues to blow my mind with its lessons. I’ve never, ever encountered a book that would so consistently have me read a passage and be so moved and changed that I would just set the book down and think about what I just learned. It’s a remarkable tome.”

Tiziano Ferro

Singer and songwriter

“I am not a strong reader, but there are a few books I do care a lot about, such as those by Coelho, The Alchemist, which I have read and reread, and The Manual of the Warrior of Light.”

Noh Hong-chul

South Korean entertainer

Hong-chul picked The Pilgrimage as a "Book of his life".

Karolina Pliskova

Tennis player

The tennis player Karolina Pliskova mentioned on her Instagram that The Alchemist is the best book she has read and that she has re-read it several times.

Lebron James

Basketball player

“The whole thing about empowerment of yourself and having your visions become a reality and the more and more that you dream and actually talk about something that you want to do, it can become true,” James said. “That was one of the one things I got out of it. As complex as that book is and as deep as that book is — it is so, so deep — I was able to figure out a way to translate it to my life at that point in time where I was like, oh I can remember when I was the 11-year-old kid and I was telling myself ‘Why me?’ some days and I was always telling myself ‘Okay, let’s change the narrative of why me, why us, why are we put in this position? Let’s change the narrative.’”

Kobe Bryant

Basketball player

[In response to "Which book has had the biggest impact on you?"]: "The Alchemist."

Will Smith

Actor

“The Alchemist was my first literary love affair. The book spoke to my soul, and I just couldn’t put it down. It penetrated me and transformed my way of seeing and being. […] The Alchemist is probably the most influential book I’ve ever read. It empowered my dreamer’s spirit and validated my suffering. If Santiago could suffer, survive, and claim his treasure, then so could I.”

Extract of Will (pages 189 and 190).

Uzo Aduba

Actress

“The Alchemist is a book that found me. I read it the summer after college, right before moving to NYC and starting out on my own personal legend. The Alchemist has found me every time I’m about to embark on a new path, or during a major transition. I’ve read it each time, and every time there are even more treasures to discover.”

Lewis Hamilton

Formula One driver

[In response to "If you could pick just one book to read?"]: "The Alchemist. I can read that quite often."

Russell Crowe

Actor

“When I’m on the set with young actors and sometimes you meet people in life who you feel are a little confused and they want to be re-centered, there are two books that I always recommend. One of them is Siddhartha . . . and the other is The Alchemist. I’ve used them in other situations as well when teenage sons or daughters of friends of mine have a question or two. They are very basic, rich, philosophical allegories. I always recommend they take the afternoon off and just read it in one hit.”

Umberto Eco

Writer

“I like Coelho’s most recent novel, Veronika Decides to Die. It really touched me deeply.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Footballer player

In Volt Fashion magazine, he answered that a favourite book of his would be Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.

Ozuna

Singer and rapper

“I liked to clear in reading to learn and know music. I read a lot of Paulo Coelho. Whoever listens to my music knows why. It is music with a meaning. It is not just that I am singing it because I want to sing it. It is music from the heart.”

Manuel Pellegrini

Soccer coach

“From that book I learned to always follow my own path through life. I try to make my own story as complete as possible, to meet the challenges that lie ahead of me. And my firm belief is that I do a better job as a football coach if I dedicate myself completely to it.”

Barack Obama

US president

“We believe in the words of Paulo Coelho, one of your most famous writers: With the strength or our love and our will we can change our destiny as well as the destiny of many others."