Summery of ELEVEN MINUTES By Paulo Coelho de Souza born August 24, 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and the recipient of numerous international awards. He is best known for his widely translated novel The Alchemist. He is the writer with the highest number of social media followers reaching over 29.5 million fans through his Facebook page and 12.2 million followers on Twitter.

3. Presented By
ZEESHAN ILYAS

4.  Paulo Coelho de Souza born
August 24, 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist
and novelist and the recipient of
numerous international awards.
 He is best known for his widely
translated novel The Alchemist.
 He is the writer with the highest
number of social media followers
reaching over 29.5 million fans through
his Facebook page and 12.2 million
followers on Twitter.

5. Themes
 The theme of discovery, pain and loneliness is
evident throughout the novel as Maria had to
experience pain throughout her life in order to
discover her true self. Loneliness is shown
through the novel as Maria was lonely and her
soul and mind was lost in order for her to
continue with her difficult career choice.
Discovery also relates to this as she discovered
herself from having made love with Ralf Hart
and she began to feel much happier and realise
that she had found "love" and that her soul was
rejuvenated.

6. Language & Diction
 Eleven Minutes is a descriptive novel that uses
informal language often including language
commonly used amongst many people. There
are many conversations in the novel between
the characters, especially dialect between
Maria and her sexual clients as well as between
herself and Ralf Hart and Maria and the
librarian. Techniques of creative writing are
used such as personification; "Geneva would
just be the face of a man she loved and whom
had loved her

7. Genre
 The genre of Eleven Minutes is romance
because of the relationships between Maria and
her clients. Although Maria didn't fall in love
with her many clients, she fell in love with a
man who had occasionally entered The
Copacabana and then paid for a night with her.
The two endured sex and love and experienced
what is called "sacred sex" in the novel.

8. Character Analysis
Maria:
 Maria is an independent, selfless young lady who dreams of
success which she will go out of her way to achieve. This is
shown through her determination and even during her self-
destroying profession she longs to achieve her dream she had
since she was a little girl even though this is achieved through
an adventure which causes her to change from being the
innocent young girl she was.
 She is also a friendly lady as although Ralf Hart first offends her
profession she still continues to talk and resolve the tension
which then leads to a friendship and then a relationship.
 Maria is also devoting as she spends the money she personally
earned on her family in order for her family to succeed in life
by buying a farm for her family.

9.  Once upon a time there was a prostitute called
Maria. The novel Eleven Minutes is about a
young adult named Maria who finds herself
through travelling around Europe in order to
achieve her dreams to become famous.
Although this was not what she achieved she
found love even after she was certain she will
never find true love.

10.  Maria experiences what she thinks love is at a
very young age. From the age eleven she fell in
love with her neighbour and hated him when he
didn't love her back, she then had many
boyfriends and experienced the depths of
relationships until she decided she didn't need a
boy and promised to never fall in love again. At
the age nineteen she decided she wanted to
pursue her dream and persuaded her boss for a
week holiday.

11.  After travelling to Rio de Janeiro she met a
Swiss man who offers her work as a Samba
dancer in a nightclub in Geneva. Realising
dancing was not her passion, she quit the job
and searched for work as a model but found
herself being offered money for one night with
an Arab man. This night led her to the brothel,
Copacabana in Rue de Berne where she began
work as a prostitute as she enjoyed the easy
money and the way she got it.

12.  Here she worked many nights but only
befriended one colleague, Nyah, as many other
women saw her as a threat to their profession.
The dehumanizing profession caused her to
"shut out" her body and mind to any connection
with love and her life now revolved around
something that took eleven minutes which was
the time Maria found that was actually spent
having sex. As Maria only worked at night, she
spent her days at the library, befriending the
librarian and taking out books on many
different subjects such as how to learn French,
books about sex and farm management

13.  She also explored the city which led her to the
"Road to Santiago" where she meets a Swiss
painter, Ralf Hart. Hart as a painter, loved her
"light" that she gave off and asked if he could
draw a portrait of her. This encounter caused
Maria's body and soul to become reintegrated
because of the love and passion she shared with
him although they first argue and he disrespects
her profession.

14.  One particular client however, enabled her to
experience pain yet reach a sense of pleasure
from sex known as sadomasochism. This brought
her to realise that pain and pleasure can relate.
Although she experienced this, she didn't tell
Ralf Hart and one day he introduced her to a
different sense of pain that helped her to
"travel" beyond any other pleasures. After
several meetings with Ralf Hart, often at his
house they shared something she didn't share
with any other clients.

15.  She fell hopelessly in love with him as he brought her to
rekindle her soul as it was only destroyed from her
profession. Maria then felt she needed to leave Rue de
Berne because of her feelings and travel home to her
family regardless of the fact that if she worked for just
six months longer, she could have given her family
everything they desire. She then buys a ticket to Brazil,
disappointed that she hadn't filled her suitcases with
souvenirs as she has wished. Before travelling back home
she wanders around the city grasping the concepts, saying
goodbye to those she had grown close to.

16.  During this time, the reader begins to learn
about the librarian as Maria listens to what she
has to say after she has read many books about
sex after ordering them for the library. The
librarian explains her life to Maria and although
Maria does not know what to say, she simply
listens and allows the librarian to express
herself. However, Maria does ask if she had ever
had an affair and although she did, she never
told this to Maria.

17.  In the evening saw Ralf for the last time, or at
least what she thought would be the last time
as the love they experienced with each other
brings them closer than past relationships. Ralf
Hart becomes the hopeless romantic and meets
Maria in the airport and the "words 'The End'
appear on the cinema screen."

18. Recommendations
 I would recommend this novel to any high
school child that is sophisticated and mature to
read about sexual relationships and
prostitution. The novel is very open regarding
the subjects sex and love and defines that sex
without love is of no use.

19. AALLAH HAFIZ