'Pen-Paper-Paulo'- a perfect combo for the creation of a magic spell. Famous for The Alchemist, one of the most sold books in the history of publication, Paulo Coelho once again has cast a spell with the little hand book The Archer. This a book full of life lessons in a direct form. Readers can find it to be similar to The Prophet by Khalil Gibran asnd will often visualize Santiago from The Alchemist.
Paulo Coelho, for decades, has provided the readers, has provided the readers with support for self-help through his writings. The Archer was first released as an e-book back in 2003 in Portuguese language. Recently he decided to get it published in hard copies and eventually Margaret Jull Costa translated it in English so that it can reach around the world.
The Archer is the story of Tetsuya who, once, was famous for his extraordinary skills in archery. But to pursue his dream of being a carpenter, he left archery and retired from public life. We only come to know about this when a stranger comes and reveals this to us that Tetsuya was "The best archer in the country". However, that nameless stranger challenges him to a shooting which Tetsuya accepted reluctantly and won easily.
The actual journey of this wonderful piece starts when, the boy, who took the stranger to Tetsuya's house, showed his interest in learning archery from Tetsuya. The boy is a really interested one and Tetsuya understanding that finally agrees to teach him.
From here on we are taken into the world of parables. These parables are used to guide a boy towards the path of manhood with all its glory. The most striking message that this book gives is not to care about what others say while pursuing one's own dream. Coelho writes, "Trust your intuition and pay no attention to what anyone else may say".
But the archer emphasizes on thinking as much as it is needed before executing any action since no action can be undone. Coelho writes, "Once the arrow has gone, it will not come back, so it is better to interrupt a shot, because the movements that led up to it were not sufficiently precise and correct, than to act carelessly, simply because the bow was fully drawn and target was waiting".
However, there are some important life lessons put forward by Coelho through Tetsuya. Coelho writes, "The archer who does not share others the joy of bow and the arrow will never know his own qualities and defects". That means, one's qualities, if kept hidden, will never get perfection since s/he will never know where to work to make the qualities better. This also emphasizes on making and keeping companions who appreciate what one does and help one being a better version of the 'self'.
In terms of achieving the goal or dream, one has to be determined. Coelho writes "A man's intention should be perfect, straight, sharp, firm, precise. No one can stop it as it crosses the space separating it from its destiny".
Like his all other books, in The Archer Coelho puts much emphasis on moving forward in life. He writes, "Use your bad moments to discover what makes you tremble. Use your good moments to find your road to inner peace./ But do not stop either out of fear or out of joy: the way of the bow has no end".
However Tetsuya, using all of his wisdom, tried to make the boy able to learn the skills of archery; in other words, some essential life lessons to move towards the goal and attain it. In doing so, he made the most ambivalent statement of this book,
"Just as the arrow seeks the target, so the target also seeks the arrow".
So remember this, your goal is waiting for you as much as you are waiting for it. So get yourself free and fly towards like an arrow does towards its target.
Reviewed by
Azimur Rashid Kanak
Teacher and Journalist
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