Category: Books

Zahir, means, that which is incapable of being unnoticed. The story seems to be similar to the author Paulo Coelho’s life. It is also said that this book in actual sense is a semi-autobiography work.

I like the way Paulo tells a story and in between engages the reader with various serious issues and aspects that require one to think. With his book Eleven Minutes, he tries to explain true love and physical love. He discusses and gives convincing answers on the topics that he chooses to discuss. That’s the very reason I think why he is such a renowned author.

Zahir is one such novel that talks in length about obsession, finding one’s Zahir. It is not about the story that has to be talked about but about the journey that the protagonist takes for finding his lost love, wife. The protagonist of the novel is a famous writer who heals people with his books and thoughts but unfortunately fails to understand his own life. When his wife, a war correspondent, suddenly seems missing, he follows her words and path to know her and more importantly know himself. Though at first he doesn’t seems to be bothered about her absence he gradually and sub consciously starts thinking about her and finally can’t imagine anything without her. This state is what the author calls as – Zahir.

Though there is nothing much to discuss about the way he finds his wife and love, there are certain interesting aspects that the author discusses which makes this book truly worth reading. Like the ones below:

“ Marie, Let’s suppose that two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterwards, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, While the other man’s face is completely clean. My question is this: which of the two will wash his face?”

‘That’s a silly question. The one with the dirty face ofcourse.’
‘No, the one with the dirty face will look at the other man and assume that he looks llike him. And, vice versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in grime and say to himself: I must be dirty too. I’d better have a wash.’

Have a look at the way he relates this:

I came to realize that I was always looking for myself in the women I loved. I looked at their lovely, clean faces and saw myself reflected in them. They, on the other hand, looked at me and saw the dirt on my face and …thinking that they were worse than they were. Please don’t let that happen to you.’

Another interesting aspect that I loved: ( I beg to differ from author’s perception towards marriage though!)

…..I learned that the distance between railway tracks is always 143.5 cm. Why is this absurd measurement?……It was Romans..who decided to make their roads that width. And why. Because their war chariots were pulled by two horses and when placed side by side…took up 143.5 cm….and it stayed as it is…But what has all this to do with marriage?
…when two people get married….move along side by side like two tracks, keeping always that same distance apart… Your purpose is to allow your train bearing the survival of the species to headoff into the future: your children….

I absolutely love his books.

Eleven Minutes is a story about Maria, a prostitute by choice, who lives in Brazil and dreams of leading life on her own terms. When the opportunity comes she moves to Switzerland only to realize sooner that she has been dragged to prostitution. She prepares herself and then enters into the dreaded world for money and finally succumbs to loneliness and sadness. One fine day she falls in love with a renowned painter and then understands the meaning of true love. When Ralf Hart, the painter and her lover, wants to be with her, she refuses to accept for the fear of ending the relation someday. Maria, with much hesitation, finally leaves for her home town missing him intensely and to her amazement finds Ralf at the receiving end. And that’s the end (or rather a start) of this fairy story. Eleven Minutes explains in detail about the aspects of true love (sacred love) and physical love. I liked the way the story has been dealt with. It gives daring and bold answers to some hushed topics of the society. I also liked the ending of the story, though stereotypical, is perfect for the story. Sad story with a Happy ending

I simply can’t resist a book if it is written by a female author and/or deal about women in particular. Though, not a feminist, I’m naturally inclined to read women oriented books. It just so happens that every time I read such novels I get an overwhelming feeling to be born a woman, even though the characters endure suffering, face intense humiliation, and are just there revealing their story. I would be attached to the character and sympathize with them (while my mind calculating as to what to be done next). I take pride in knowing them and truly believe that the characters are real.

Ladies Coupe is one such novel I thoroughly enjoyed reading as the protagonist Akhila speaks of one’s freedom, limits, responsibilities, traditions, and desire. Born in an orthodox family, she falls prey to loneliness and boredom when all the responsibilities surround around her. While she plays the role of a sister and a dutiful daughter forgets the role she is supposed to be in, herself. At 45 (and still single) she sets on a journey to be all by herself for the first time. She boards on Ladies Coupe and get to know her fellow women travelers, their lives, feelings, and difficulties. Akhila also crosses her traditions and customs that binded her till this age and follows her desire sleeping with a young man.

I didn’t understand as to what made her cross this path: to satisfy her desire, to prove her freedom, an attempt to outcast the traditions, or just there giving hardly a thought to it. What does that one-night stand tell the readers?. The novel also does not answer directly the question it raises…. Can a woman stay single and be happy, or does a woman need a man to feel complete? But apart from that it gives a perfect picture of a woman in India. I simply loved this book.

The novel, set in Argentina, tells the story of honorary Consul, Charley Fortnum, who mistakenly is kidnapped for American ambassador and the way they get out of it. The book describes the nature of Fortnum and Doctor Eduardo Plarr in a lucid way.

All the characters are very original in the way they think and react. As such this is not a story that has plots and twists, but describes about relations, love, adultery, and preaching’s at Church. Many interesting dialogues and phrases make it a sure classic, particularly the ones about the relation with God and about love.

Love to share one such dialogue:

“When a man leaves a woman, he begins to hate her. Or is it that he hates his own failures? Perhaps we want to destroy the only witness who knows exactly what we are like.”

At times the novel seems to be dragging as the story completely revolves around the kidnap trap and talks at length about the two characters in particular, Eduardo Plarr and Charley Fortnum and how their lives are interlinked.

Zahir, means, that which is incapable of being unnoticed. The story seems to be similar to the author Paulo Coelho’s life. It is also said that this book in actual sense is a semi-autobiography work.

I like the way Paulo tells a story and in between engages the reader with various serious issues and aspects that require one to think. With his book Eleven Minutes, he tries to explain true love and physical love. He discusses and gives convincing answers on the topics that he chooses to discuss. That’s the very reason I think why he is such a renowned author.

Zahir is one such novel that talks in length about obsession, finding one’s Zahir. It is not about the story that has to be talked about but about the journey that the protagonist takes for finding his lost love, wife. The protagonist of the novel is a famous writer who heals people with his books and thoughts but unfortunately fails to understand his own life. When his wife, a war correspondent, suddenly seems missing, he follows her words and path to know her and more importantly know himself. Though at first he doesn’t seems to be bothered about her absence he gradually and sub consciously starts thinking about her and finally can’t imagine anything without her. This state is what the author calls as – Zahir.

Though there is nothing much to discuss about the way he finds his wife and love, there are certain interesting aspects that the author discusses which makes this book truly worth reading. Like the ones below:

“ Marie, Let’s suppose that two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterwards, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, While the other man’s face is completely clean. My question is this: which of the two will wash his face?”

‘That’s a silly question. The one with the dirty face ofcourse.’
‘No, the one with the dirty face will look at the other man and assume that he looks llike him. And, vice versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in grime and say to himself: I must be dirty too. I’d better have a wash.’

Have a look at the way he relates this:

I came to realize that I was always looking for myself in the women I loved. I looked at their lovely, clean faces and saw myself reflected in them. They, on the other hand, looked at me and saw the dirt on my face and …thinking that they were worse than they were. Please don’t let that happen to you.’

Another interesting aspect that I loved: ( I beg to differ from author’s perception towards marriage though!)

…..I learned that the distance between railway tracks is always 143.5 cm. Why is this absurd measurement?……It was Romans..who decided to make their roads that width. And why. Because their war chariots were pulled by two horses and when placed side by side…took up 143.5 cm….and it stayed as it is…But what has all this to do with marriage?
…when two people get married….move along side by side like two tracks, keeping always that same distance apart… Your purpose is to allow your train bearing the survival of the species to headoff into the future: your children….

I absolutely love his books.