The Alchemist: The Dangerous Books Lecture Series

Author Peter Dudink reveals that The Alchemist is not the positive thinking pablum that most readers, teachers, professors, and literary reviewers believe. It's Catholic 'hero' Santiago is an idiot who understands nothing about the world he inhabits and who -- like another Tom Sawyer -- dreams of treasure. As the lecture reveals, during his journey, Santiago evolves from being a naive victim of criminals to a being a complicit or active criminal as he profits from war, from counterfeiting, and from a treasure for which innocent Amerindians were slaughtered by -- ironically -- Catholic conquistadors. Unless approached with a high degree of irony, The Alchemist lures readers into a dangerous world of blissful ignorance and blind optimism.