Interpretor of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri - 2013

New Delhi, India: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013 Interpreter Of Maladies is Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of nine short stories. It explores various aspects of the identity crises that plague Indians and Indian Americans, trapped as they are between a culture they have inherited and a culture they have embraced. The first short story, titled A Temporary Matter, explores the relationship between Shobha and Shukumar, a husband-wife duo. Their stillborn child is the trigger that sends their relationship into a downward spiral. As devastating secrets spill out over the subsequent days, their marriage begins to disintegrate rapidly. Another short story, The Interpreter of Maladies, presents the story of Mr. and Mrs. Das, an Indian American couple on a visit to India. Their tour guide, Mr. Kapasi, begins to develop a romantic interest in Mrs. Das. When he expresses his feelings to her, Mrs. Das is forced to make a few unexpected revelations of her own. The title of the book has been named after this short story. The Real Durwan, another short story from the collection, tells the story of Boori Ma, an old stair-sweeper (durwan) who works in an old brick building. Every day, she sweeps the stairs in the building and in return, she is allowed to live on the roof of the building. While she sweeps, she narrates compelling stories from her past. As globalization increases, the members of the community, such as Boori Ma, are sidelined and instead, the residents become progressively obsessed with the material quality of the building. This story offers a glimpse into the effects of globalization in India. The lives of the characters in all the stories have been presented and analyzed using the theme of food, a seemingly unusual theme to explore the subject of identity crisis. Interpreter Of Maladies was published in 1999 by Houghton Mifflin. It received positive reviews. It went on to win both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and the Pultizer Prize for Fiction in 2000. As of August 2012, the book has sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide. This edition of the book is a 1999 reprint by Harper Collins. Printed Pages: 198.. Forty Third Impression. Paperback. New. 14 Cms x 22 Cms.