Jhumpa Lahiri Talking Books

Jhumpa Lahiri has been garlanded with critical success and prizes

since her first collection of short stories. Her reputation rests on

quiet, that ticket only observed stories about Indian immigrants

adjusting to their new lives in stories about Indian immigrants

US. She is dedicated to the craft of writing to the point of sacredness

and she creates characters who are hard to forget. Jhumpa Lahiri,

welcome to Tour. Thank you. Your literary career is based on your

interest in occupation in writing about families and relationships in

that. Quite often, characters in consciousness. A pressure to be

that. Quite often, characters in things at the same time. To be loyal

to the old world — India — free things at the same time. To be loyal

the new one, America. I am aware that the questions that you ask

the new one, America. I am aware way beyond your experience but I

also assume that the German for way beyond your experience but I

London? Very much so. I always felt is your experience as the daughter

London? Very much so. I always felt person, as a child, very much, it

frustrated me. It is something I continue to feel as an adult but I

write about. I think it is something think, now that I am also a writer,

write about. I think it is something quite universal — that sense of

division and sent of betraying a part of yourself or people you love

in order to forge a new identity. collection, Interpreter of Maladies.

What was extraordinary for me was that there was a quietness to them

which is to do with your style of writing which we will talk about. At

the heart of the stories, there writing which we will talk about. At

quite explosive events. What happens of these relationships — secrets and

not told all talked about in the first story, a couple talking about

the loss of the child. A woman in the title story, Interpreter of

Maladies, revealing the secrecy the title story, Interpreter of

the paternity to a complete stranger who is besotted with her. This idea

of the explosions that occur within human relationships is something

that you are drawn to. Can you say something about that? Writers are

drawn to these moments that are something about that? Writers are

resonant in the context of ordinary lives. It is not always dramatic

revelations can take place. The events where things can happen,

revelations can take place. The profound decisions can be made.

revelations can take place. The found moments of clarity, lucidity,

ordinary moments and that interests can happen in subtle moments or

ordinary moments and that interests me. There is something that writers

are always looking for — locating me. There is something that writers

are always looking for — locating to do... It feeds very well into

your preoccupation with what happens to people who are dealing with one

culture and imposing another one on it? I am interested in it the lack

of community and the search for daughter of immigrants, I was keenly

aware of how hard my parents had to building one person at a time —

literally. My memories begin in iLife in the US but I know they

literally. My memories begin in through that here as well. The Thais

that they created in the new world. —— the relationships. What it meant

to them to have something or someone lend a room or cook a meal or invite

them over for supper. These things took on meaning and resonance that

have lasted for half a century. These are things that I will never

forget. When they moved to America, when I was two, they went through

this process again. And that I remember more clearly. How few their

friends were at the beginning. Just how you could count on one hand

friends were at the beginning. Just people they knew and trusted and

could speak to in their language. Slowly, that grew and I witnessed

that process. It fascinated me Slowly, that grew and I witnessed

that process. It fascinated me because I knew that each person

owned in some way. —— earned. Can owned. Each point in connection

owned in some way. —— earned. Can you say something about chronicling

matters. Well, I think otherwise life... What is it that? I feel

matters. Well, I think otherwise has to hold on to certain things

because there is so much of that is happening and it is all slipping

course, but when you write something away. I think writing is away to

course, but when you write something you enter into a finite, it temporal

space. A story may take an hour you enter into a finite, it temporal

12 hours or 12 days or 12 years you enter into a finite, it temporal

112 years — whatever ditties — there is a beginning, a middle, and end.

It is an artificial construct — fiction. I think it is a way to

isolate time, to isolate experience, In, it is not meant to chronicle

anything in that it is not true In, it is not meant to chronicle

accurate, what I am writing, they are stories and they are inventions

and they are all sorts of filters so it's not that I don't feel I am

documenting anything but in a way, yes, in my own imagined, invented

way, I do feel that I was compelled to document certain aspects of my

family's arrival and slow process of settling into a new world. I was at

Interpreter of Maladies, in the context of your fourth book, The

generational saga but rooted in context of your fourth book, The

at varying revolution in India. politics of India and the politics

at varying revolution in India. There is. I thought, this is a germ

Brothers is executed by the State There is. I thought, this is a germ

Brothers is executed by the State and consequently that people react

to and describe their feelings about that then and how it impacts on

to and describe their feelings about other characters. I wonder if you

could say a little bit first about that social and political context.

Why you were keen to look at that? I think that The Namesake similarly

something I felt at once close to and extremely removed from and

Ingrid. In that this execution that I... That inspired the novel really

did happen. —— removed from and ignorant. It was very close to my

paternal homes that it happen. I heard about it — the same period,

1971 that a lot of things obviously were happening around those years

but the point is, I felt that on the one hand, so very, very ignorant of

this powerful, violent disturbing upsetting things on the other side

of the world but not just any other side of the world but the other

of the world but not just any other of the world with a precise place

without my parents came from and what they left behind in a place

that I was continually visiting throughout my life as well. When I

picture the neighbourhood — I know me could teach it because I was

picture the neighbourhood — I know the neighbourhood, I spent months a

key related months, years perhaps, in that neighbourhood at this point

— so I felt at once close and far and I wanted to know what had led to

this execution and why. What was the and I wanted to know what had led to

this execution and why. What was the something so horrific — a young

this execution and why. What was the 's execution, a family lined up

this execution and why. What was the watch. I wanted to ask about the

silence that create a pit to killer atmosphere in families. The real

terms to discuss things. Why is atmosphere in families. The real

something that has become so potent in your novels? It feels like it

drives the atmosphere so powerfully. I do not know. I am interested in

communications, I think, and the difficulties, the challenges that it

will have, especially in intimate relationships — big Dave romantic or

romantic or familial. I was very, very big like and and scared, I

romantic or familial. I was very, a very shy child, extremely shy

child, and I was very connected a very shy child, extremely shy

my parents and they were sort of all they knew — they were my world and

it was hard for me to make friends at school. It was hard for me to

trust other people when I was a at school. It was hard for me to

trust other people when I was a young. And I do not know why that

is. I need to know, in a way, but it did lead the two books and books led

me to writing and when I started writing, which I started as a very

younger girl, it was a form of both companionship and filling in for the

friends that were not about. And companionship and filling in for the

friends that were not about. And fundamental to me. The world of

books and learning is central to fundamental to me. The world of

books and learning is central to characters are often academics or

Lahiri's The Namesake is that a couple marries and it is the wife

pursues an academic career at the expense of her family, it has to be

said. That world of academia is expense of her family, it has to be

that is captured remarkably well. I feel these are people that even

though I do not know that many academics, I feel they are kind

though I do not know that many howls of mine. I wonder how you

though I do not know that many really, really well? The campus

though I do not know that many the University of Rhode Island was a

sort of playground, my open space. I think that it has a particular

significance for me I suppose for my entire family, because I think for

an immigrant, because when one legitimate reason to be there, there

are no connection, there is no family, there is no history, there

is no past, you know, you just arrived and you have to move forward

that there is nothing in it the arrived and you have to move forward

will stop there is no back. And arrived and you have to move forward

Rhode Island, this was the one thing the work that one does, in my family

I felt they gave my family are real I felt they gave my family are

legitimacy because I knew that somewhere in the back of my mind we

were there because my father did somewhere in the back of my mind we

were there because my father did important in that place. And that

was the sole link, in a way, because otherwise you live in this world in

memory is at least — the presence of otherwise you live in this world in

memory is at least — the presence of my family was either not recognise

or actively questioned sort of, my family was either not recognise

AU doing here is Mac why are you even to remember that. I was aware

of the lack of connection and I even to remember that. I was aware

very aware of the lack of past, even to remember that. I was aware

history, both personal history, even to remember that. I was aware

more general history. I was acutely aware of that. Because my parents

had lived a very intense history. independence, my father was born in

1931 and left India in 1964. Those were extraordinary years in Indian

history. Let's talk about your first novel. The central idea behind it,

it is to do with the tension between an old culture and getting used

it is to do with the tension between new one, and it is embodied in the

name. The two main characters give to the protagonist in this story.

There is a distinction in Ben Cawley culture between a pet name and your

good name. Your name is your pet name, isn't it? Is that what made

you think you wanted to explore name, isn't it? Is that what made

through the central idea? In fact, no, the seed for that book was a boy

I met once. In Calcutta. The name no, the seed for that book was a boy

I met once. In Calcutta. The name struck me. I wanted to know why

I met once. In Calcutta. The name that. That was the seed for the

that material, the boy was a boy that. That was the seed for the

that material, the boy was a boy born and raised in Calcutta, and

eventually that changed, and he became a born —— K Boyd warned and

raised in America. That added a whole new dimension and tensions to

the story. In that sense, ES, the competitions of naming, the fact

that my pet name became my good competitions of naming, the fact

by a series of strange mishaps and Miss Communications. What is your

good name? I have to. My mother Miss Communications. What is your

I was born, in the hospital, the city of London maternity Hospital,

was unable to choose between the two considering. So she put both of

certificate. It is a very long official name. When my sister was

born, my younger sister, my mother mistake and the confused in the

born, my younger sister, my mother way, so she had it all set. So my

has the good name and the pet name, character in the novel, in that

has the good name and the pet name, and feels, as do so many of my

parents' friends children, the acute by vocation in terms of their very

world of their family, the world pet name being used at home, by

world of their family, the world that their family creates, and

thinking about those names in the having a good name in school, in the

thinking about those names in the beginning, I was thinking about

thinking about those names in the name go—go, and why a boy would

thinking about those names in the that name. We should tell the reason

why the character in the book has the name is because his father was

was holding a book by the Russian writer go—go, and when the book

There is a poignancy at the heart of the relationship that you convey in

this story. It is lot about seeing for me, there is also a sense of

being in a room that is dark and sensing something, and feeling your

way around until you locate it. sensing something, and feeling your

is a process of locating and then seeing, and what I am trying to

is a process of locating and then Thereunder any great writers who are

not voracious readers, and I know that you are. I wonder if you could

say a bit about the writers who that you are. I wonder if you could

even. I certainly turned to writers turn to for reassurance, or confit

even. I certainly turned to writers for those things. But also as a

guidance. For instruction. I would for those things. But also as a

guidance. For instruction. I would say, in terms of short stories,

guidance. For instruction. I would have been enormously grateful for

is an essential writer for me. With have been enormously grateful for

was Thomas Hardy. I read and reread have been enormously grateful for

book, I felt somehow that I just needed to be immersed in his world

and his novels. I had read him, needed to be immersed in his world

course, years ago and I have always loved his work very much. But with

this book, I felt that somehow reading and rereading his novels

while I was writing the book made it seem possible, that I could write

impossible for a long time. So I was grateful for that. You enjoy that

success immediately, as soon as grateful for that. You enjoy that

collection of short stories one grateful for that. You enjoy that

the Pulitzer Prize. I wonder whether you are more at ease with it now. I

felt then, as I feel now, I feel detached. I feel grateful because it

has enabled me to continue writing difficult for me. But apart from

unrecognised. It is essential for that, I feel very strongly that

unrecognised. It is essential for say. It is the only way it can

all comes from. I know that is where say. It is the only way it can

all comes from. I know that is where it comes from. And so I have to

maintain that distance. If a book is celebrated all well received, I

book. When the book is done, and celebrated all well received, I

book. When the book is done, and those things can only come when

book. When the book is done, and book is done, I go back to doing

what I do. That is thinking, and ideally, writing. And that process

requires a very different state ideally, writing. And that process

mind. A very different state of mind. And I have to maintain a very

clear distinction between those mind. And I have to maintain a very