Eleven Minutes

Ralf is an internationally renowned artist in his late 20s who has, according to his own judgment, seen more of the world, experienced more of life, and turned away more from the common trappings of success than anyone else his age. Ralf does not enter the narrative until Chapter 15. Quickly readers learn that he is extremely successful in art but a failure in relationships since he has been married and divorced twice and has decided that sex is no longer interesting.

Ralf has the distinction of being the only person in the narrative with a first and last name. In fact, though Coelho refers to all the other characters solely by their first names, he always refers to Ralf by both names, revealing his intention to set Ralf apart. Though Maria finds him attractive, Ralf dresses somewhat slovenly in old clothes and wears his hair too long. He is a person of no pretense. In his first encounter with Maria, he stops her from leaving a cantina, asking if he can paint her because he sees a distinctive light in her, which he wants to experience.

If Maria is the philosopher of the two, Ralf is the realist who has endured so many worldly experiences that he can accurately comment on Maria’s idealism. Though not a dreamer as Maria is, he is a mystic who understands art, beauty, and pain and how they impact the individual. He yearns to be close to Maria, so he can bask in the light she exudes.

Milan, the owner of the Copacabana Club, could best be described as a benevolent pimp. More than three dozen sex workers use Milan’s club as a staging area and come there every evening to meet with well-heeled men who desire sexual encounters. Milan has created a smoothly-operating systematic routine that offers the women ease of access to clients they can choose between. Coelho points out that Milan has an uncanny sense of what sort of men he allows into his club and what sort of behavior he forbids.

Milan closely follows the regulations for sex workers that have been set down by the Swiss government. He guards the reputation of his club carefully, listening in on the conversations of the women with their clients. While he does not try to prohibit personal, off-the-record interactions between the sex workers at this club and their clients, he recognizes that such liaisons tend to result in him losing workers. When there is conflict between sex workers in his establishment, he acts immediately to settle the issue, often revoking the working privileges of the women or banning their clients from his club.

Terence is a British music company executive, who is married to a popular British singer. He travels frequently to Geneva so he can engage in sadomasochistic (BDSM) role play with sex workers. When Milan decides that Maria has become experienced enough, he encourages Terence to interact with her. They ultimately have two encounters.

Terence guides Maria into the role-playing process, in which one person is dominant and the other is submissive. They use handcuffs, a gag, ties, and a whip—some of the frequently used BSDM equipment. Terence explains that those involved in this kind of activity have safety words, so, should a person experience extreme discomfort of some sort, saying the word ends the BDSM behavior. Coelho uses the background of Terence’s marriage, in which he and his wife dominate and persecute each other, to explain and expand the meaning of this sort of sexual behavior to his readers.