To Unveil an Iota of the Muslim Cultural Mask

摘要

Mohamed Moulessehoul, a world famous Algerian writer, adopts as his pen name his wife's Yasmina Khadra to publish all his bestsellers in French out of reasons for his appreciation for and awe of her, but also for avoiding political censorship in Algeria. Among his most-noted works include his trilogy The Swallows of Kabul, The Attack and The Sirens of Bagdad. In 2004, Newsweek honors him as a rare literary writer who gives meaning to hardships. His works are rendered into more than forty languages across the world. In addition, his work What the Day Owes the Night was made into movie with the same title, which turn out to be a hit worldwide. It relates the story of a landless farmer's son named Younes, a handsome blue-eyed young Arab, and his dear French girlfriend Emilie. They loved each other from their childhood but were unable to marry till death do them apart. This present thesis attempts to delineate the cultural messages decoded in the book: that is, over the matters of identity; propriety; prejudice and the evil eye, so as to uncover the art value and exotic beauty from the peculiar perspective of cross-cultural communication.