Poèmes de l'Alquimista (1952) is the main poetic work by the catalan poet and art essayist Josep Palau i Fabre, and one of the most significant poetic work of the modem catalan literature and european poetry. This article deals, not only with the themes but also with the influence of French surrealism and symbolism linked with the concept of alchemy and subversion. It also analyses the mark of existentialism and avant-gardism as well as the possibilities of free creation through the language.