Te Ruānuku: The Alchemist in te reo
Kua whakamāorihia tā Paulo Coelho pukapuka whakaaweawe, e kaha nei hoki te hokona puta noa i te ao, ā, koinei te pukapuka nui katoa te whakawhitihia ki reo kē nā tētahi kaituhi e ora tonu ana.
The Alchemist is now available to read in te reo Māori as Te Ruānuku, thanks to AUT te reo Lecturer Hēmi Kelly.
Paulo Coelho's masterpiece has sold 85 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more languages than any other book by a living author.
It tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure.
His quest leads him to riches far different – and far more satisfying – than he ever imagined.
Paulo Coehlo recognised the translation of his book into Te Ruānuku on Twitter, and his friend, Brazilian actor José de Abreu, came to the launch of Te Ruānuku.
"It was an honour to host José at the launch of the book. He just happened to be living here now, so we invited him along,” Hēmi Kelly says.
“It was all very in tone with The Alchemist, as if the universe had conspired to make it happen.
"He came and represented the author by reading some words Paulo had written expressing his thoughts on this achievement. That was a special moment."
Paulo Coelho’s books have sold more than 230 million copies worldwide and have been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 427 consecutive weeks.