philosophy | Jennifer's Best Bookish Blog

The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is for bloggers who wish to participate by publishing a blog post every day in April except for Sundays. Each blog post will focus on a letter of the alphabet. For example April 1 will be A, April 2 will be B and on it goes. By the end of April, a blog post for every letter of the alphabet will have been posted

The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

Summary

The Pilgrimage recounts the spectacular trials of Pauli Coelho and his mysterious mentor, Petrie, as they journey across Spain in search of a miraculous sword. The Pilgrimage paved the way Paulo Coelho’s international best selling novel, The Alchemist. In many ways, these two volumes are companions -to truly comprehend one, you must read the other.

Step inside this captivating account of Paulo Coelho’s pilgrimage along the road to Santiago. This fascinating parable explores the need to find ones own path. In the end, we discover that the extraordinary is always found in the ordinary and simple ways of everyday people. Part adventure story, part guide to self discovery, this compelling tale delivers the perfect combination of enchantment and insight –goodreads

Translated by Alan R.Clarke

My Thoughts

When I first came across this book, I was drawn to it for two reasons. Firstly, I am a fan of Coelho, having read The Alchemist a number of times. I list it as one of my favourite books of all time. Secondly, I did my own pilgrimage of The Camino de Santiago in 2014, so was extremely interested to read what Coelho had to say about his experiences.

I knew The Pilgrimage would focus on the mystical experiences of the author. This really interested me, as my own experiences of the walk were fitness related rather than mystical or religious.

I have read this book twice, and each time, I pick up something new from it. I have found that to be the case in each of his books that I’ve read.

For me, The Pilgrimage didn’t disappoint but I am aware that I have a bias towards the subject matter. It is possible that a reader without that bias, or without having experienced The Camino, wouldn’t get the same enjoyment out of this book.

Recommendations

“Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic, but his message is what counts…….he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face” – Daily Express

“His books have had a life enhancing impact on millions of people” – The Times

Quotes

“We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body.”

“We always have a tendency to see those things that do not exist and to be blind to the great lessons that are right there before our eyes.”

We always know which is the best road to follow, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to”

My Star Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

About the Author

Paulo Coelho was born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, Coelho did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage.

His books are written in Portugese and translated into English.

This 25th anniversary edition published October 2012 by Thomson’s Publishers. Hardcover, 320 pages.

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Images and author information: Goodreads

#AtoZChallenge 2019 Tenth Anniversary blogging from A to Z challenge letter

Summary

The Zahir is narrated by a best selling author, who lives in Paris and has been living the perfect life with his wife, war correspondent Esther. But now, Esther has disappeared with a friend Mikhail. It’s not known after her disappearance, if Mikhail is her lover. He may be, but then again, he may not be.

Esther’s disappearance is a mystery, as she also appears to have been living the perfect life, with her husband. Was she murdered or perhaps kidnapped. Or did she escape the confines of a life with her husband which left her feeling unfulfilled and empty.

The narrator is lost for answers. Eventually he is contacted my Mikhail, who promises to reunite him with his wife. In the process of this the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

“…I had convinced myself that I could only be happy with her, not because I loved her more than anything and anyone in the world, but because I thought only she could understand me; she knew my likes, my eccentricities, my way of seeing the world…….I was used to seeing the world through her eyes.” – Paul Coelho, The Zahir

“…suffering occurs when we want other people to love us in the way we imagine we want to be loved, and not in the way that love should manifest itself – free and untrammeled, guiding us with its force and driving us on.” – Paul Coelho, The Zahir

My Thoughts

I’m a huge Paul Coelho fan, so was looking forward to reading this book. I wasn’t at all disappointed. The Zahir is a pilgrimmage of sorts and cover the themes of love, loss and obsession. I love Coelho’s writing, and this book is no exception. As is usual, in Coelho’s books, he focuses on the meaning of life, the mean of love, and finding our place in the world.

The narrator of the story annoyed me at times, and parts of the story annoyed me at times. However, I really did enjoy this book. The questions the narrator asked himself and the tiny bits of trivial information he felt that he needed, truly did captivate me. There were many literary references which I also enjoyed.