Jhumpa Lahiri in conversation with Malavika Banerjee at Kolkata Literary Meet 2026For Lahiri, Kolkata was both omnipresent and absent in her upbringing. The bountiful nature of Kolkata, however, posed a challenge for Lahiri, who often felt at odds with her sense of belonging. While living in the US, Bengali felt like it was a language that she needed to hide. “My mother would say, “‘No English, no English,’” Lahiri remembered. That is how her tryst with Rome and the Italian language came about.

Source: The Telegraph January 22, 2026 15:56 UTC