This month's Puzzler
On August 24, 1947, this man was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up, he was a rebellious teenager who so troubled his parents that they had him committed to a psychiatric hospital that specialized in shock treatments. Later in life, he forgave his parents, saying, “They did not do that to destroy me, they did that to save me.”
At age 20, he attended law school for a year before dropping out and living a hippie lifestyle that took him all around the world. Returning to Brazil in the early 1970s, he embarked on a career as a songwriter, blending rock music with elements of traditional Brazilian culture. Many of his songs were considered subversive by the country’s right-wing military regime, and he was briefly imprisoned several times.
After publishing two forgettable books in the early 1980s, he had what he described as a “spiritual awakening” while on a pilgrimage to the shrine at Santiago de Composele in northern Spain. He eventually described the experience in O Diário de Um Mago (“Diary of a Magus”), a 1987 novel that went on to become an international bestseller under the title "The Pilgrimage."
It was his next book, though, that would ensure his place in literary history, selling more than 150 million copies worldwide, and making him one of the most successful authors of all time. "The Alchemist" (1988) was the story of an Andalusian shepherd boy who embarked on a journey to Egypt in pursuit of a recurring dream about discovering treasure near the pyramids.
He went on publish nearly thirty more books, and is still going strong at age 77.
Who is this man? Answer below.
A bookseller's diary (continued)
September 20, 2025
Things started out slowly at Printed Page today. I had the first hour or so to myself, which never portends a successful Saturday. Then, when customers finally started drifting in, I failed to satisfy any of the following requests for...
...books about the Kennedy assassination's links to Indonesia
...pre-1900 books on herbal remedies
..."old new age books on spells and incantations."
...First editions of books by P.G. Wodehouse
Toward lunchtime, things got busy, but not so busy that I wasn't able to have some interesting conversations. One guy told me that he had mountaineering books to sell. He said he'd climbed all the Fourteeners in Colorado and had once worked as a guide on Mt. Everest. (He hated the work, but it was the only way he could get to the summit.) He knew that guy who climbed El Capitan freestyle, and how lucky he was it didn't rain -- or he didn't get a bee sting. He was a fascinating guy, friendly and voluble.
I shared my adventures climbing a step ladder to replace a track light bulb.
Anyway, he came to sell books, so I told him to go ahead and bring them in. He started up the stairs with a box, this accomplished mountain climber, and stumbled on a step. Involuntarily, I chortled.
I need to work on being a better person.
-Dan
Save the evening of December 11 for our holiday open house!
We'll have food, drinks, prizes, and discounts on all books. Watch this space for more details in our December newsletter.
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