Eleven Minutes is a 2003 novel by Paulo Coelho. This is the most scandalous book written by the hand of a Brazilian master. Many people admire her, many condemn her, and some do not at all understand what meaning the author wanted to convey to them.
The plot of the book "Eleven minutes"
The main character of the novel is the prostitute Maria. Throughout history, she reflects on her life and the role that sex plays in it. She herself chose this path to understand her feminine nature. She has a goal, but in order to achieve it, she must go through vital tests and understand what love is and what is pain.
What the author wanted to say
It is clear that this book is not suitable for every reader. Some people do not understand why Paulo Coelho dedicated a whole story to a prostitute at all.
In fact, the work reveals the theme of love and sex, which are inseparable, and also lifts the veil of the mystery of feminine and masculine nature.
The writer tells about the life of a prostitute. He begins his story with the words: “Once upon a time there was a prostitute named Maria. Like all prostitutes, she was born pure and immaculate … . With these words, he wants to tell the reader that absolutely all people are born equal. Every person, including the main character, dreams of a happy future.
Maria dreams of a beautiful home, she wants to see the ocean and find a loving husband. Her dreams are no different from those lurking in the heads of other girls of her age. She, like everyone else, meets first love and then loses it.
Once Mary is offered to become a dancer. She leaves her hometown hoping to achieve something in life. It turns out that dreams do not always come true so easily. Over time, she realizes that the offer was not at all profitable, and leaves this job.
Maria is left without money. She agrees to sleep with a stranger for a lot of money, just not to go to her parents' house, without having achieved anything. Feeling the taste of easy money, Maria becomes a prostitute. She could choose any other way to make money, but her goal is not only to make money. She wants to understand her essence, to get to know men. She deliberately creates tests for herself, deliberately goes to bed with a sadomasochist in order to experience physical pain.
11 minutes is the average duration of sexual intercourse, according to Maria's observations. Now she understands sex like no one else, she knows what men want. At this stage of her life, she meets her love, because she is still destined to turn her dreams into reality.
The author wants to convey to the reader that, regardless of profession, a person remains a person. The prostitute also has a soul, no matter how she makes a living.
After reading "11 minutes", it is no longer possible to treat prostitutes so negatively, since each of them has her own story and her own life goals, towards which they go in a non-standard way.
