The Alchymist's Journal

About this book

In a fictional tour de force of rich historical re-creation and spectacular prose, Evan Connell imagines the journals of seven alchemists: Paracelsus, the famous sixteenth-century alchemist, begins the remarkably musical narration, which then continues from the point of view of, by turns, a devout novice, an elderly skeptic, a conscientious physician, a Christian historian, a revolutionary, and a philosopher. Each offers a unique lens for viewing Paracelsus, alchemy, and the world.As in Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose , the mystery and occult texture of a historical setting come eerily alive. Though ancient in style, the voices of Connell's diarists are trenchantly clear. Like lead into gold, these imagined contemplations of medieval alchemists transmute into a modern, relevant book filled with sublime wisdom, hope, and healing philosophy. A work of high, uncompromising art in which thought is the real alchemy, The Alchemist's Journal is an acute yet forgiving study of humanity by on of America's greatest writers.