![]() ![]() ![]() The detailed portrayal of the protagonist Maria’s quest for love helps to build her vibrant individualistic character. Authorial intrusions, however, do not recur in the narrative. The novel’s fairy-tale opening yokes the innocent with the profane: “Once upon a time there was a prostitute called Maria.” The author immediately steps into the story to explain the difficulty in combining two contradictory mores, establishing the story’s realistic nature. An invocation to the Virgin Mary, a dedication, a parable from the Bible, and an ancient hymn about the greatness of women serve as prologues to the main narrative. The title Eleven Minutes refers to the approximate duration for the act of coitus but connotes the infinite possibilities and meanings contained in this brief physical and emotional act. This novel differs from the rest of the writer’s oeuvre as it deals with a subject which, Coelho states in the book’s dedication, is “harsh, difficult, shocking.” The novel explores the theme of the sanctity of sex by narrating the story of a young prostitute who eventually finds true love, realizing that sex for material gain is profane, and emotional love, if reciprocated by the partner, raises the sexual union to a holy act. Written by the brilliant Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho (1947– ), Eleven Minutes was originally published in Portuguese. Analysis of Paulo Coelho’s Eleven Minutes ![]()
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