It is one of the most widely-read and deeply-loved books of all time, a small tome that has affected lives around the world. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is an adventure and a parable, an allegorical tale in the tradition of the great picaresque novels of the Iberian Peninsula. It is fitting that The Alchemist is a part of that noble genre, for the Brazilian author wrote this modern classic in Portuguese, and the story commences in Andalusia.
The language of alchemy was, by its own very nature, obscure and expressed in symbols that represented concepts deriving from laboratory work, reflections and deeply spiritual experiences. An alchemist was often also a philosopher, theologian, physician, astrologer and astronomer, and a mathematician.
Montegrappa has conceived a pen that, in a symbolic and historical language, could represent knowledge and man’s search for a particular ability deemed fundamental: the ability to manipulate the elements, the liberation and transformation of metals, the study of nature, the parallel discovery of the secret of long life. Its designers have travelled back in time to the late Middle Ages, to illuminate a concept and practice that deeply motivated the scientific development of humanity.
The Alchemist Pen will be issued in an edition of 1987 fountain pens and roller balls in total, in honor of the year that it was published. The series will consist of 71 in solid gold (38 fountain pens and 33 roller balls), for the 71 languages into which it has been translated. 900 pens will be offered in resin and sterling silver (450 fountain pens and 450 roller balls) to represent the number of copies in the first edition’s print run. A further 1000 pens will be produced entirely in sterling silver with accents in translucent enamel. There will be four colors of enamel, representing the four elements: air, fire, earth and water. Only 125 fountain pens and 125 roller balls will be made in each color. Lastly, 16 pens (8 fountain pens and 8 roller balls) will be produced in gold with diamond enhancements, these precious gems symbolizing the riches that feature prominently in the saga.
Contact me if you want another version of the pen besides the fire. All are available.
On the body of the pen different metals are hand placed and then enameled, to protect them forever. There are so many small embellishments on this pen that the pictures really do speak a thousand words.This pen features an 18kt gold nib and comes in it’s own very special presentation box, and carries an MSRP of $10,000.
