The devil and Paulo Coelho

By John Cheeran
Is Paulo Coelho a great writer?
The Brazilian novelist is something of a rage, even in India.
I must admit that I was quite impressed by his The Devil and Miss Prym.
But I’m quite puzzled where to place this hugely popular writer.
I think it would be better to call Coelho a brand rather than a writer.
Translations of Coelho’s novels from Portuguese to English are simple, straightforward but touching.
Coelho’s stuff is a cross between Mills and Boon and Richard Bach.
Middleclass all over the world, man and woman, are always interested by such entry points as dream, soul, heart, love etc.
But none knows what exactly these are supposed to be.
Realize your dream, chase your goals are some of the things anyone falls for these days.
Coelho has positioned himself as a healer and spiritual guide to those who are maimed by the modernity.
But his Eleven Minutes, by any yardstick, is utter trash.
There are very few passages that lift it from the depths of pornography.
May be that is natural when he tells the story of a young woman from Brazil who finds true love as a whore in Geneva.
Let me quote a few lines that I liked from the book.
“Absurd though it may seem, do you know what is more important than sex for a man?
I (Maria) thought it might be money or power, but I said nothing.
“Sport. Because a man can understand another man’s body. We can see that sport is a dialogue between two bodies that understand each other.”
Now let me give you a hint of what makes Eleven Minutes so popular.
Read this passage.
“Maria waited for the light to change, she crossed the road and paused in front of the floral clock; she thought of Ralf, saw again the look of desire in his eyes on the night when she had slipped off the top half of her dress, felt his hands touching her breasts, her sex, her face, and she became wet; and as she looked at the vast column of water in the distance, without even having to ouch any part of her own body, she had an orgasm, right there, in front of everyone.
Not that anyone noticed; they were all far too busy.”
Coelho is the new age Vatsyana and Eleven Minutes is the modern Kamasutra.
Enjoy.