By Julie O’Brien Deasy
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri discussed the inspiration for her 2023 New York Times bestselling book, Roman Stories, at the New Canaan Library’s 17th Annual Literary Luncheon at New Canaan Country Club.
Lahiri, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for her debut collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, moved to Rome in 2012. As her Italian language skills improved, she began writing in Italian, and Roman Stories was the result of her observations, experiences, and life in Rome.
Lahiri shared that her fascination with Ancient Roman history began in childhood, sparking a lifelong interest in the city and its people. She explained how, historically, Rome has relied on immigrants to build and sustain it—a dynamic that continues today.
The book’s theme examines “being an outsider and looking at ‘insiders’ ”, some of whom also feel like outsiders themselves”, noted Lahiri during the Literary Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 8.
The nine stories cover a broad range of experiences: the struggles of an immigrant family seeking a better future, interactions between native Romans and expatriate parents at school, and the harsh realities faced by a domestic worker randomly attacked by a group of teenage boys.
As a new transplant to the city herself, Lahiri saw firsthand this tension, which echoed her experiences being raised in America by Indian parents.
“Growing up I felt neither Indian or American, I felt intense pressure to be two things: loyal to the old world and fluent in the new. Not approved of on either side of the hyphen,” Lahiri observed, describing her childhood. “It was an everyday negotiation of two very different worlds.”
While in Italy, she began translating others’ works from Italian to English, as well as writing directly in Italian herself. The short story form seemed a natural place to begin, as it allowed her to start small. However, it wasn’t always easy.
“From a writer’s point of view, it’s more challenging to write a short story because there’s no room for error, no room for extraneous words,” Lahiri explained. “The short story is more closely aligned to poetry due to the compact nature of both.”
A unique aspect of this book is that none of the characters are given names, prompting readers to decide for themselves who belongs and who feels like an outsider. According to Lahiri, this choice was intentional.
“Readers were confused as to whether these characters were “Italian” or not. I liked that confusion,“ Lahiri said. “One of the issues I’m trying to explore is identity and how do we locate identity.”
“By removing the name you remove a large way we identify someone as American, or Italian, or any nationality. I hope that it allows the reader to question a little bit, these assumptions we make regarding belonging, how much are they based on surface things like names?”
Such observations are a hallmark of the annual Literary Luncheon, which since 2008, has brought the community together to celebrate a renowned author and strengthen the Library’s mission: to be an essential place for lifelong learning, culture and connection.
Ellen Sullivan Crovatto, New Canaan Library CEO, described the Literary Luncheon as “A day that brings us together in wonderment at the remarkable talent of the author Jhumpa Lahiri and challenges us to ask ourselves ‘what does it mean to be part of a community?’ For me, today defines us as part of a community that cares about our library.”
The Luncheon is also the Library’s single biggest fundraiser, helping to support library activities for the upcoming year.
For this year’s event, the New Canaan Country Club was transformed into an Italian trattoria and cafe for the afternoon. Shiny Italian sports cars and Vespa scooters welcomed guests outside the front door, bunches of fresh herbs decorated the table settings, and colorful vintage Italian linens hung from the ceiling. A real fountain bubbled (with coins available for guests to wish on) in front of an Italian “mercado” displaying fresh fruits and vegetables.
After her talk with Crovatto, Lahiri answered questions from the audience including: were any of the stories based on her own experiences in Rome (yes, some of them), how did she find it to translate her own works from Italian to English (it was hard at first, then easier as she became more comfortable with reading her work in both languages), and also added some context for readers who wanted to know more about specific characters and events in the stories.
Many volunteers and organizations came together to make the Literary Luncheon possible. The planning committee was headed by Meghan Gould, Alana Woods, and Michael Canoro. Luncheon sponsors included M&T Bank, William Raveis, Manfredi Jewels, Robinson+Cole, Bankwell, Lampert Toohey & Rucci LLC, Connecticut Breast Imaging, Springboard Travel, John M. Glover Insurance, Yozo Studio, Moffly Media, and Stamford Motorsports. In addition, Elm Street Books was on site selling signed copies of Jhumpa Lahiri’s books.
Towards the end of her remarks, Lahiri presented the audience with an observation on how we can make stronger connections to those different from ourselves: “What I hope is that it allows the reader to question a little bit, how do we make these assumptions regarding belonging. What are they really based on?”
