Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

Nancy Pedri (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.5: South Asian Diasporic Literature and Culture, 1800-present.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2003

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

The Namesake, by Pulitzer Prize winner Indian-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, is a story about first- and second-generation immigrants and the intergenerational and cultural differences they experience while living in the United States. It is a critical examination of the concept of nation and cultural memory as they intersect with the complex interplay between private and collective identity. The story revolves around the difficulties faced by Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli – South Asian immigrant parents from West Bengal – and their American-born children, Gogol and Sonia. Although all four struggle with the constant pressure to juggle distinct, multiple, and hybrid cultural identities, the narrative focuses on Gogol. The …

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1683 words

Citation: Pedri, Nancy. "The Namesake". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 May 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=25332, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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