In New York I was always so scared of saying that I wrote fiction. It just seemed like, 'Who am I to dare to do that thing here? The epicenter of publishing and writers?' I found all that very intimidating and avoided writing as a response. Jhumpa Lahiri avoiddareepicenter share on social
I don't tackle major global events. I don't like to read about something - an event, a cataclysm - in fiction for the sake of reading it. Jhumpa Lahiri cataclysmeventfiction Change image and share on social
I feel my writing comes from a desire to... well, it's motivated by many things, but it's inherently a contradiction in that I'm writing for myself, and it's a very interior journey. On the other hand, I feel that writers do make that interior journey out of a desire to connect. Jhumpa Lahiri connectcontradictiondesire share on social
He told me he was working as an interpreter in a doctor's office in Brookline, Massachusetts, where I was living at the time, and he was translating for a doctor who had a number of Russian patients. On my way home, after running into him, I just heard this phrase in my head. Jhumpa Lahiri brooklinedoctorhead share on social
My reasons for coming to get married in Calcutta are complicated, and it's very hard to put it into a sentence. People ask me why. To me, it just felt like a very natural and exciting decision. Jhumpa Lahiri calcuttacomecomplicate Change image and share on social
It was very hard for me, for most of my life, to feel American, or call myself American, and that is a very complicated topic that would require a very long conversation. Jhumpa Lahiri americancallcomplicate Change image and share on social
In college, I used to underline sentences that struck me, that made me look up from the page. They were not necessarily the same sentences the professors pointed out, which would turn up for further explication on an exam. I noted them for their clarity, their rhythm, their beauty and their enchantment. Jhumpa Lahiri beautyclaritycollege share on social
Literature is such a profound and deep way to look into someone else's life, his mind, his hopes and thoughts. Books have opened so many doors for me, taking me to places where my normal life and its finite limits could never have. Jhumpa Lahiri bookdeepdoor share on social
Almost any American can connect on some level to a family background of having come across some ocean. They say, 'My great-grandparents came from wherever... this is why we have this last name, why we do this thing at Christmas.' All the details get watered down but don't quite disappear. Jhumpa Lahiri americanbackgroundchristmas share on social
A lot of my upbringing was about denying or fretting or evading. Jhumpa Lahiri denyevadefret Change image and share on social