Language, identity, place, home: these are all of a piece - just different elements of belonging and not-belonging. Jhumpa Lahiri belongelementhome Change image and share on social
I think one of the things that attracted me about theater and the stage was the ability to escape reality. And that is what I do in my work as a writer, but in a different way. And the freedom to put your own existence on ice and become another person. Jhumpa Lahiri abilityattractescape share on social
Winning the Pulitzer is wonderful and it's an honor and I feel so humbled and so grateful, but I think that I'll think of it very much as the final sort of final moment for this book and put it behind me along with the rest of the book, as I write more books. Jhumpa Lahiri bookfeelfinal share on social
From the beginnings of literature, poets and writers have based their narratives on crossing borders, on wandering, on exile, on encounters beyond the familiar. The stranger is an archetype in epic poetry, in novels. The tension between alienation and assimilation has always been a basic theme. Jhumpa Lahiri alienationarchetypeassimilation share on social
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening. Jhumpa Lahiri deepenevolvehope Change image and share on social
I have my husband and children near me in Rome, and I feel this is where we are temporarily belonging. But personally, all my life, I have felt the absence of a sense of history. Jhumpa Lahiri absencebelongchild Change image and share on social
Many of the novelists I admire never left their hometown. Look at Flannery O'Connor. So many of the great Russians never left Russia. Shakespeare never left England. The list goes on. Jhumpa Lahiri admireconnorengland Change image and share on social
I don't know why, but the older I get the more interested I get in my parents' marriage. And it's interesting to be married yourself, too, because there is an inevitable comparison. Jhumpa Lahiri comparisoninevitableinterest Change image and share on social
I was always aware of what the language I was using meant in terms of my bond with my parents - how it defined the lines of affection between us. When I spoke English, I felt I wasn't completely their child any more but the child of another language. Jhumpa Lahiri affectionawarebond share on social
Some Indians will come up and say that a story reminded them of something very specific to their experience. Which may or may not be the case for non-Indians. Jhumpa Lahiri caseexperienceindian Change image and share on social