Friday, December 21, 2007

Give the Gift of Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri captured my heart this summer with her writing.

During sweltering commutes into the city, while waiting for the train in the hot sun, I clung to every word of The Namesake (still haven't seen the movie) followed closely by Interpreter of Maladies.

She's a writer whose every word contributes to the formation of a character, the person's life, and their feelings.

For me, on my train rides, she created a window into their worlds that I could stare through for hours. A window that I reluctantly shut each time my stop was announced.

If you're looking for a last-minute gift, pick up one of her books and take it home for someone. You just might find that you'll keep it as a gift to yourself.

2 comments:

Kitty said...

LOVE her work. Yknow she didn't start off as a writer, but pursued getting a PhD in English, assuming she'd be teaching.

I actually know one of her good friends and, believe it or not, was asked through my friend about architecture while Jhumpa was researching The Namesake. I haven't read it yet but I'm sure it's great.

I remember reading her short story in The New Yorker and afterwards saying 'Wow.'. I didn't know who this writer was, but there was something about her writing style that completely captured the sense of Cambridge. Like you say, it was in the details!

Spandrel Studios said...

Kitty, that's so cool that you have that connection to The Namesake! That should make it even more enjoyable, no?

The story Jhumpa wrote that appears in next week's issue of The New Yorker is what reminded me of how much I enjoy her writing.

I just spotted a bio of hers that said she was an intern at Boston Magazine in 1997 - and to win the Pulitzer just a few years later? Mind-boggling!