To my great surprise when I started researching about the book I am reviewing today, I found out that the author was born just a few weeks before me - he on St Bartholomew's Eve and I a few days before Christmas.

He was born in a middle class family in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and sent to a Jesuit school.

At 17, his parents admitted him to a mental asylum, where he attempted to escape three times before leaving the institution at the age of 20. His parents wanted him to study law but after a few years he left and became a dropout wandering in far-off countries. He then followed the trend of his time and lived on drugs.

On his return to Brazil he worked as a songwriter. He was also arrested for "subversive activities", imprisoned and even tortured.

Meanwhile he was working hard to get out of this dark phase, thanks to his participation in the Camino de Santiago and through writing. He wrote The Pilgrimage to describe his experience.

Next he wrote The Alchemist in 1988 but this slim book almost got binned. First he got it published by a small Brazilian publishing house which only printed 900 copies and decided not to reprint it. But Coelho subsequently found a bigger publishing house and the book became an international bestseller. Altogether his books have sold 320 million copies in 83 languages in 170 countries.

Four of his novels - The Pilgrimage, Hippie, The Valkyries and Aleph - are autobiographical but the majority of the rest are fiction. Other books, like Maktoub, The Manual of the Warrior of Light and Like the Flowing River are collections of articles.

Though Coelho describes himself as a Catholic, his output has been described as incompatible with the Catholic faith because of its New Age, pantheist and relativist content.

Coelho is known for his visionary blend of spirituality, magical realism and philosophical parables.

In this most famous masterpiece, The Alchemist, we follow the adventures of a young Andalusian shepherd, Santiago as he leaves his flock to pursue a hidden treasure.

What makes this book special is how this simple tale told in simple language, somehow manages to be a self-help book, a mystical adventure and a philosophical treatise all rolled in one. 

Other books by Coelho include: Brida, By River Piedra, Veronica Decides to Die, The Spy, and The Winner Stands Alone.