On the screen I saw tanks rolling through dusty streets, and fallen buildings, and forests of unfamiliar trees into which East Pakistani refugees had fled, seeking safety over the Indian border. Jhumpa Lahiri borderbuildingdusty Change image and share on social
The reactions haven't differed; the concerns have been different. When I read for a predominantly Indian audience, there are more questions that are based on issues of identity and representation. Jhumpa Lahiri audiencebaseconcern Change image and share on social
I find it really liberating to be in a place where I am a foreigner in every way. I've lived with this all my life - this divide, this bifurcation. And in Italy, I don't feel it. There's none of that tension, only the expectation I place on myself to speak the language well. I find it relaxing. Something drops away, and I observe. Jhumpa Lahiri bifurcationdividedrop share on social
Oddly, I feel more protected when I write in Italian, even though I'm also more exposed. Jhumpa Lahiri exposefeelitalian Change image and share on social
It was important to me to become day-to-day fluent and functional in another language, and about 10 years ago, I went to Rome for the first time and felt an instant gut connection and wanted to get to know the city. Jhumpa Lahiri agocityconnection share on social
I feel very grateful for the way I was brought up. I did not realise it then, but as I grew older and started writing and realised the material that was there was very strong, I felt very grateful that my life was complicated and that my identity was never clear but put me in a position that was always questioned. Jhumpa Lahiri bringclearcomplicate share on social
My parents' relationship with Kolkata is so strong. Growing up, the absence of Kolkata was always present in our lives. Jhumpa Lahiri absencegrowkolkata Change image and share on social
It's easy to set a story anywhere if you get a good guidebook and get some basic street names, and some descriptions, but, for me, yes, I am indebted to my travels to India for several of the stories. Jhumpa Lahiri basicdescriptioneasy Change image and share on social
My parents had an arranged marriage, as did so many other people when I was growing up. My father came and had a life in the United States one way and my mother had a different one, and I was very aware of those things. I continue to wonder about it, and I will continue to write about it. Jhumpa Lahiri arrangeawarecontinue share on social
A lot of my upbringing was about denying or fretting or evading. Jhumpa Lahiri denyevadefret Change image and share on social