First Lady of the World
Encyclopedia
First Lady of the World (A Novel) is an English-language novel written in 1991 by Robert Muller
, a former Assistant-Secretary General of the United Nations
. The 204-page novel was published in Anacortes, Washington
in the United States by the World Happiness and Cooperation publishing company. This work of fiction is about the first woman to become Secretary-General of the United Nations.
(ECOSOC). The ECOSOC is one the main organs of the United Nations. It evaluates the progress on gender equality, apart from identifying challenges in promoting gender equality and the advancement of women. It is the Commission that formulates and sets the international standards policies for gender equality. By being a part of the Commission, she was able to work with two important figures at the time, namely Eleanor Roosevelt
and Gabriella Mistral. Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States
from 1933 to 1945 and the wife of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, while Gabriella Mistral was a Chilean diplomat, poet, and feminist who became the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
in 1945.
who became a representative of the country to the United Nations. She is a practitioner of Hinduism
, a religion that is predominant and indigenous in the Indian Subcontinent
. In the novel, Narayan becomes the first female Secretary-General of the United Nations. As a devout believer of Hinduism, Narayan was able to convert her husband - An American businessman - into her religion. Dedicated to her faith, Narayan shows her devotion to the Hindu gods by worshipping their images, even while inside the building of the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Robert Muller incorporates himself as a character in the novel. Muller portrayed himself as the adviser to Narayan while executing her role as UN Secretary-General. Muller, the character, particularly gives advise to Narayan regarding the goal of attaining peace around the world by the year 2010. Global peace can be achieved through the so-called World Peace Plan, which is also referred to as "Peace Plan 1992-2010".
the leader of all the members of the international organization. Narayan becomes the proponent for an envent known as the Millenium Moment - also known as the Bimillennial Event - after being inspired by a national from France
.. The Millenium Moment or Bimillenial Event is an event that will foster worldwide celebrations in the year 2000 for the goal of "achieving peace and happiness among all human beings on earth". There is a scene in the novel when Narayan addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations, proclaiming the advent of the "cosmic age, the age of total union with the universe and God." The Millenium Moment is preceded by the revival of the United Nations' plans for 2000 and after. Other events happened prior to the Millenium Moment, including the end of the arms race during the middle of the 1990s, the creation of the World Peace Service – a service for the poor of the world. Providing service to poor people of the world is suggested as the alternative, instead making young people serve for the military. By 1998, a World Constitutional Assembly is held in Philadelphia in the United States for the purpose of creating a World Constitution by 1999. The World Constitution will fulfill the dreams heralded by George Washington
, the first president of the United States, and by Simon Bolivar
, a political and military leader from Venezuela
, a country in South America
. Bolivar was one of the key players during Latin America's successful struggle for independence from the Empire of Spain
. The climax for the First Lady of the World is reached when the whole world celebrates the Millenium Moment in 2000, as humanity enters a New Age
– a "new planetary age of cooperation and fulfillment".
Robert Muller
Robert Muller was an international civil servant with the United Nations. Assistant Secretary-General for 40 years, his ideas about world government, world peace and spirituality led to the increased representation of religions in the UN, especially of New Age Movement...
, a former Assistant-Secretary General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. The 204-page novel was published in Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 15,778 at the time of the 2010 census...
in the United States by the World Happiness and Cooperation publishing company. This work of fiction is about the first woman to become Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Dedication
Robert Muller dedicated First Lady of the World to his late wife, Margarita Gallo. Gallo was a former intern whom Muller met when he was also an intern at the United Nations. During her lifetime, Gallo fought for the rights of women while connected to the United Nations' Commission for Women's Rights, which is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social CouncilEconomic and Social Council
Economic and Social Council might refer to one of the following:* United Nations Economic and Social Council* French Economic and Social Council* Economic and Social Council * European Economic and Social Committee...
(ECOSOC). The ECOSOC is one the main organs of the United Nations. It evaluates the progress on gender equality, apart from identifying challenges in promoting gender equality and the advancement of women. It is the Commission that formulates and sets the international standards policies for gender equality. By being a part of the Commission, she was able to work with two important figures at the time, namely Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
and Gabriella Mistral. Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
from 1933 to 1945 and the wife of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, while Gabriella Mistral was a Chilean diplomat, poet, and feminist who became the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1945.
Characters
The main characters in First Lady of the World include Lakshmi Narayan, Robert Muller (the character), and Sri Chimnoy. Lakshmi Narayan is a woman from IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
who became a representative of the country to the United Nations. She is a practitioner of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, a religion that is predominant and indigenous in the Indian Subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. In the novel, Narayan becomes the first female Secretary-General of the United Nations. As a devout believer of Hinduism, Narayan was able to convert her husband - An American businessman - into her religion. Dedicated to her faith, Narayan shows her devotion to the Hindu gods by worshipping their images, even while inside the building of the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Robert Muller incorporates himself as a character in the novel. Muller portrayed himself as the adviser to Narayan while executing her role as UN Secretary-General. Muller, the character, particularly gives advise to Narayan regarding the goal of attaining peace around the world by the year 2010. Global peace can be achieved through the so-called World Peace Plan, which is also referred to as "Peace Plan 1992-2010".
Plot
The setting of the First Lady of the Word is set in the year 1992. During that year a female diplomat from India, Lakshmi Narayan, became the first woman to become Secretary-General of the United Nations. Narayan, as UN Secretary-General, becomesthe leader of all the members of the international organization. Narayan becomes the proponent for an envent known as the Millenium Moment - also known as the Bimillennial Event - after being inspired by a national from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.. The Millenium Moment or Bimillenial Event is an event that will foster worldwide celebrations in the year 2000 for the goal of "achieving peace and happiness among all human beings on earth". There is a scene in the novel when Narayan addresses the General Assembly of the United Nations, proclaiming the advent of the "cosmic age, the age of total union with the universe and God." The Millenium Moment is preceded by the revival of the United Nations' plans for 2000 and after. Other events happened prior to the Millenium Moment, including the end of the arms race during the middle of the 1990s, the creation of the World Peace Service – a service for the poor of the world. Providing service to poor people of the world is suggested as the alternative, instead making young people serve for the military. By 1998, a World Constitutional Assembly is held in Philadelphia in the United States for the purpose of creating a World Constitution by 1999. The World Constitution will fulfill the dreams heralded by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, the first president of the United States, and by Simon Bolivar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, a political and military leader from Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, a country in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Bolivar was one of the key players during Latin America's successful struggle for independence from the Empire of Spain
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
. The climax for the First Lady of the World is reached when the whole world celebrates the Millenium Moment in 2000, as humanity enters a New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
– a "new planetary age of cooperation and fulfillment".
Analysis
Jay Gary (also known as "The Millenium Doctor"), author of The Star of 2000, includes Robert Muller's First Lady of the World as one of the "quasi-spiritual novels in recent years" that molded "utopian or disutopian" stories around celebrations that was held in the year 2000.See also
- New Age Movement
- Score the GoalsScore the GoalsScore the Goals: Teaming Up to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals is an educational comic book published by the :United Nations on 24 January 2011. The 32-page comic book features ten football players who are all UN Goodwill Ambassadors...
- Millennium Development GoalsMillennium Development GoalsThe Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
- Millennium Declaration
Further reading
- Peace 2010, and excerpt of the essay on page 48 from which Robert Muller based the "World Peace Plan 1992-2011" that appeared in his novel First Lady of the World; it is also reproduced in Chapter III of this article.
- A Quantum Strengthening of the UN by Robert Muller, an article by Muller wherein he mentioned that revised and expanded proposals the reform and strengthening of the United Nations can be found in his novel First Lady of the World.