{"id":8927,"date":"2022-06-13T21:22:50","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T19:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=8927"},"modified":"2022-06-13T21:22:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T19:22:50","slug":"book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: “The Go-Between” by Osman Yousefzada"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Installation by Osman Yousefzada, Total Anastrophe, Volcano Extravaganza 2018 (courtesy Osman Yousefzada<\/a>).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Go-Between: A Portrait of Growing Up Between Different Worlds<\/em>, a memoir by Osman Yousefzada
\nCanongate<\/a> 2022
\nISBN\u00a0 1786893525<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Hannah Fox<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

The terraced house where Osman Yousefzada grew up in Birmingham had net curtains that were permanently drawn, blocking light and preventing anyone from seeing in through the windows. And yet, in The Go-Between<\/em>, Yousefzada allows his readers to look behind the curtains and witness the moments of pleasure, as well as the acts of violence, that take place in his childhood home.<\/p>\n

The house is in a red-light district in the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham, where prostitutes live side by side with members of various immigrant communities. Osman\u2019s family belongs to the highly religious Pashtun community, members of whom migrated to England from a remote region near Pakistan\u2019s border with Afghanistan, people he describes as \u201cthe least integrated in south Birmingham.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Go-Between<\/em> is published by Canongate<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osman must learn to navigate his way not only between the two worlds of English culture and Pashtun traditions, but also between the orthodox world of his own community and the more \u201cmodern\u201d world inhabited by many of their Punjabi or Kashmiri neighbors.<\/p>\n

Yousefzada emphasizes the uniqueness of the social environment he grew up in, explaining that \u201cour Pashtun community, all from one region back home and guided by the imam, was a very distinct subculture.\u201d The Go-Between<\/em> portrays Osman\u2019s experience of growing up between these different worlds with humor and pathos.<\/p>\n

Within the home, strict gender roles mean that there are two further worlds that the young Osman learns to move between: \u201cthe front room, the world of men, and the sanctity of the back rooms, the women\u2019s chambers.\u201d It is in the women\u2019s space that Osman feels the most free. As a child, he views the backroom sewing salon where his mother works as a tailor, and where a constant stream of women visit her each day, as a place of peace and beauty. Behind the dividing curtain that separates this space from the front room where the men sit, is a world where women from various backgrounds and cultures come together. Osman calls it a \u201cmecca for all kinds of women who wouldn\u2019t normally have met anywhere else: the Indian-Africans, the Ismailis and the Shias, the Sikhs, the Hindus, the occasional white folk, the Muslims.\u201d This is a women\u2019s space that Osman\u2019s father isn\u2019t allowed to enter when visitors are there, and so it is also a place of temporary sanctuary from the domestic violence that is experienced by his mother and the children at other times. As a young boy, Osman is able to spend time in both the men\u2019s and the women\u2019s worlds, although his mother and sisters are not permitted to go out to the shops or even to attend the local mosque. His sisters are removed from school by their parents around the age of eleven and from then on expected to remain in purdah<\/em> at home. Looking back, Yousefzada expresses a sense of sadness that he failed to notice his sisters\u2019 misery at the time, explaining that \u201cfew of us questioned the girls\u2019 sudden retreat from daily life. Not many in our community sent their girls to secondary school back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite these restrictions placed on the women in Osman\u2019s family and the wider community, his mother thrives in her job as a tailor, creating beautiful clothes for countless local women. She is a \u201csculptor\u201d and a \u201cmagician\u201d in Osman\u2019s eyes and his pride in her work is apparent throughout his beautiful descriptions of the colorful creations that she makes. It is worth noting that Osman often refers to his mother by her name, Palwashay, in his memoir. This seemingly simple act of naming can be read as a powerful statement within a patriarchal context where women are often not named. Osman mentions elsewhere that, \u201cWomen\u2019s names were hidden, not to be written down for the world to see; even when Mum\u2019s parents wrote to her, it came in her husband\u2019s name.\u201d By naming Palwashay, Yousefzada is acknowledging her individual identity apart from her role as a wife a mother. In many ways, The Go-Between <\/em>is a tribute to his mother, and it is clear that she has influenced Yousefzada in his own love of fashion.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Osman Yousefzada turned Birmingham UK’s Selfridges store into a public art site (photo courtesy Jason Alden<\/a>). Yousefzada was born in Birmingham to migrant parents who are illiterate in English and their mother tongue. He is an interdisciplinary artist and designer who studied at SOAS and Central Saint Martins, and went on to obtain an MPhil at Cambridge University. He has exhibited at international institutions including the Whitechapel Gallery, Dhaka Art Summit, V&A and more. He has been awarded the prestigious BFC New Generation award for three seasons. The Osman Yousefzada clothing line is worn by celebrities including Beyonc\u00e9, Lady Gaga, Lupita Nyong\u2019o, Thandiwe Newton, Gwen Stefani, Emma Watson, Freida Pinto and many more. He edits\u00a0The Collective<\/em>\u00a0and has written for\u00a0Vogue<\/em>, the\u00a0Guardian<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0Observer<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osman Yousefzada\u2019s eponymous fashion label, founded in 2008, is a luxury womenswear brand sought out by celebrities worldwide, and his memoir is bursting with examples of how he was drawn to appreciate the beauty of women\u2019s clothing from a young age. In a humorous scene early in the book, a young Osman creates a shrine for his sister\u2019s Barbie, dressing the doll in a homemade green dress which he then covers with a miniature pink burka he makes from offcuts of his mother\u2019s fabric. From the prostitutes on the street to the relatives and neighbors who visit his mother\u2019s salon, Osman notices every detail of the women\u2019s clothing and jewellery. Even when the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, is mentioned, Osman seems as interested in her immaculate hairstyle and in the silky pussy bows and pearls she wears, as he is in her politics.<\/p>\n

The Go-Between <\/em>pulsates with detailed descriptions of color, patterns, and textures. Fabrics glow and shimmer, bringing a sense of movement and life that is lacking in the dull sameness of the clothing worn by the men, who all have \u201cthe same brand of mottled acrylic cardigans in varied shades of brown and khaki.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although there are numerous scenes from Osman\u2019s early life highlighting his interest in fashion, it would have been interesting to read more about his later years after he leaves Birmingham for London, and to understand how he makes the transition into working as an artist and fashion designer. While his time at SOAS, University of London, is touched upon, the final section of the book could have been more developed. However, it is also clear that in writing the book, Osman is charting the journey of his family as much as his individual story, and recalling his memories perhaps for his own sake as much as for that of the reader. In his Author\u2019s Note, he refers to the book as \u201ca series of vignettes formed around my memories.\u201d In each chapter he paints pictures of scenes from his early life that aren\u2019t necessarily intended to progress in a linear manner. They can be read rather as images in a gallery, or photos in an album that each tell their own story.<\/p>\n

Storytelling is a recurring theme in The Go-Between<\/em>, and various characters are known for their story-telling abilities. Osman\u2019s father, although he cannot read, tells entertaining stories that have been passed down from his grandmother. Another character, Makmalbakt, is a widow who tells stories and riddles that \u201cseem to make her grow bigger and bigger, like a genie, as the stories come alive.\u201d This power of stories to bring life is something that Osman also finds in books. He goes to comical lengths to get hold of as many books as possible for the library he creates in his bedroom \u2014 even stealing them when he has the chance.<\/p>\n

With his love of stories, Osman has a tendency to exaggerate at times, telling \u201cfantastical stories\u201d about his trip to Pakistan to his classmates when he returns to school, as well as inventing stories about his family background to impress new university friends. He says of these tall stories that, \u201cSometimes I forgot who I was and where I came from.\u201d The Go-Between<\/em> is his attempt to remember. There is a disclaimer in the Author\u2019s Note, that \u201cas with all memories recollection sometimes meets fiction.\u201d Whether or not The Go-Between <\/em>is an accurate record of Osman\u2019s childhood, it is nevertheless an interesting and poignant story of growing up in multicultural Birmingham in the eighties and nineties, as well as a celebration of the pleasures of fashion and the power of storytelling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hannah Fox reviews the Birmingham memoir by fashion artist Osman Yousefzada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":8928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,51],"tags":[340,636,843,1118,1186,1332],"article-category":[],"article-type":[],"coauthors":[1964],"class_list":["post-8927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-book-review","category-tmr-weekly","tag-birmingham","tag-fashion","tag-immigrants","tag-memoir","tag-muslim","tag-pashtun"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBook Review: "The Go-Between" by Osman Yousefzada - The Markaz Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hannah Fox reviews the Birmingham memoir by fashion artist Osman Yousefzada.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Book Review: "The Go-Between" by Osman Yousefzada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hannah Fox reviews the Birmingham memoir by fashion artist Osman Yousefzada.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Markaz Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-13T19:22:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Infinity-Pattern-1-by-Osman-Yousefzada-wrapping-Selfridges-Birmingham_photo-by-Jason-Alden-4.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"934\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hannah Fox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hannah Fox\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Shreya Parikh\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cccbcc382b97ef22dd5e2cd60e6de117\"},\"headline\":\"Book Review: “The Go-Between” by Osman Yousefzada\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-13T19:22:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1518,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Infinity-Pattern-1-by-Osman-Yousefzada-wrapping-Selfridges-Birmingham_photo-by-Jason-Alden-4.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Birmingham\",\"fashion\",\"immigrants\",\"memoir\",\"Muslim\",\"Pashtun\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Art\",\"Book Reviews\",\"Weekly\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/themarkaz.org\\\/oldmarkaz\\\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\\\/\",\"name\":\"Book Review: \\\"The Go-Between\\\" by Osman Yousefzada - 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The iconic building, famous for its bulbous blue shape and large silver disks is now covered by the world\u2019s largest canvas showcasing Osman Yousefzada\u2019s black and pink patterned design. This new art installation, entitled Infinity Pattern 1, is dramatically changing the Birmingham skyline as it stretches over 10,000 sq meters (nearly 50 meters in height and 250 metres in length and weighing 5 tons). A radical new landmark for the city, Infinity Pattern 1 addresses the issues of race, labour and migration, which have shaped Birmingham\u2019s past and present, but also carries a deep sense of optimism, connectivity and hope. For Osman, who is Birmingham-born, and the son of Pakistani-Afghan migrants, the work contains some autobiographical elements, but at its core it stages the concept of a world without borders, whether physical or imaginary, represented by the endlessly tessellating pattern. Osman\u2019s design was chosen following an international competition led by Ikon, Birmingham, the highly esteemed art gallery, which has also curated an exhibition and art trail in-store, inspired by Osman\u2019s work. The art installation will remain in place whilst the store is undergoing major renovation work due to complete ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year. For more information visit https:\\\/\\\/www.selfridges.com\\\/osman Thursday, July 22, 2021. 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The iconic building, famous for its bulbous blue shape and large silver disks is now covered by the world\u2019s largest canvas showcasing Osman Yousefzada\u2019s black and pink patterned design. This new art installation, entitled Infinity Pattern 1, is dramatically changing the Birmingham skyline as it stretches over 10,000 sq meters (nearly 50 meters in height and 250 metres in length and weighing 5 tons). A radical new landmark for the city, Infinity Pattern 1 addresses the issues of race, labour and migration, which have shaped Birmingham\u2019s past and present, but also carries a deep sense of optimism, connectivity and hope. For Osman, who is Birmingham-born, and the son of Pakistani-Afghan migrants, the work contains some autobiographical elements, but at its core it stages the concept of a world without borders, whether physical or imaginary, represented by the endlessly tessellating pattern. Osman\u2019s design was chosen following an international competition led by Ikon, Birmingham, the highly esteemed art gallery, which has also curated an exhibition and art trail in-store, inspired by Osman\u2019s work. The art installation will remain in place whilst the store is undergoing major renovation work due to complete ahead of the Commonwealth Games next year. For more information visit https:\/\/www.selfridges.com\/osman Thursday, July 22, 2021. Photographer: Jason Alden Photographer: Jason Alden www.jasonalden.com 0781 063 1642"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/book-review-the-go-between-by-osman-yousefzada\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Book Review: “The Go-Between” by Osman Yousefzada"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/","name":"The Markaz Review","description":"Literature and Arts from the Center of the World","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#organization","name":"The Markaz Review","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cropped-New-2023-TMR-Logo-500-pix.jpg","width":473,"height":191,"caption":"The Markaz Review"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/#\/schema\/person\/cccbcc382b97ef22dd5e2cd60e6de117","name":"Shreya Parikh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2781d1a25517703916c016379ec0e3e171dd225a379557e617c60bb50fbd2b3?s=96&d=mm&r=g9efe56fdaefb22b15741e9bc5fe9dabc","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2781d1a25517703916c016379ec0e3e171dd225a379557e617c60bb50fbd2b3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2781d1a25517703916c016379ec0e3e171dd225a379557e617c60bb50fbd2b3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shreya Parikh"},"url":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/author\/shreyaparikh\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/241"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8927"},{"taxonomy":"article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-category?post=8927"},{"taxonomy":"article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-type?post=8927"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}