Word: westernness
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...ease in both cultures (he speaks fluent Punjabi and Urdu), Mueenuddin writes with an understanding of the hierarchies and traditions of Pakistani life but also with an appreciation for what Western audiences know and, more likely, don't know about life in a country that features far more prominently in newspapers than on the fiction shelf. "I am deep in my heart apolitical in my writing," he says. "There are plenty of soapboxes one can stand upon, but one of them is not a short story." In the world of In Other Rooms, all politics is local: the never-ending...
...subject that can lend itself to bleak conclusions, at least to some Western eyes. In the final scene of "A Spoiled Man," the title character, a gardener's assistant much abused by fate, has died and been buried on his master's land, his tiny cabin picked clean of his possessions. But to Mueenuddin, who imbues this character with a strong sense of resignation and acceptance, it's not an unhappy ending. He sees it as somewhat hopeful. "This is a homeless, landless man who's been thrown out by his family and is bitter and hardened," he says...
...Visitor My favorite film of the year. It's about loss and passion, and it also introduces the audience to not one but three positive Muslim characters--an important and infrequent introduction in Western film...
Situated on the western bank of the Danube, Budapest's Lánchíd 19 hotel is in many ways an extension of the river itself. Its accordion-like façade, constructed of movable glass panels, ebbs and flows with the rhythm of the water, thanks to a meteorological sensor on the hotel's roof. Decorated with images of life on the riverbank - crabs, snails and aluminum cans - the exterior panels light up at night, adding a touch of modernity to the historic riverside where 18th century Habsburg architecture prevails...
Still, some insiders in Moscow say the Western view of Cyril as a closet liberal is naive, noting that he is as conservative as most other Metropolitans, and a longtime operator within the Church's tight bureaucratic machinery. He is believed to have maintained close relations with Vladimir Putin since he took over as Russian President in 2000. Both Putin, who is now Prime Minister, and current President Dmitry Medvedev, called the new Patriarch soon after the votes were tallied on Tuesday. It is widely believed that no Patriarch can emerge from the tightly controlled process of candidates? selection...