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Roman Stories
204 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2024
4 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Jhumpa Lahiri
107 books14.6k followersNilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" Lahiri is a British-American author known for her short stories, novels, and essays in English and, more recently, in Italian.
Her debut collection of short-stories, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003), was adapted into the popular film of the same name. The Namesake was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and was made into a major motion picture.
Unaccustomed Earth (2008) won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, while her second novel, The Lowland (2013) was a finalist for both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction.
On January 22, 2015, Lahiri won the US$50,000 DSC Prize for Literature for The Lowland. In these works, Lahiri explored the Indian-immigrant experience in America.
In 2012, Lahiri moved to Rome, Italy and has since then published two books of essays, and began writing in Italian, first with the 2018 novel Dove mi trovo, then with her 2023 collection Roman Stories. She also compiled, edited, and translated the Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories which consists of 40 Italian short stories written by 40 different Italian writers. She has also translated some of her own writings and those of other authors from Italian into English.
In 2014, Lahiri was awarded the National Humanities Medal. She was a professor of creative writing at Princeton University from 2015 to 2022. In 2022, she became the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at her alma mater, Barnard College of Columbia University.
Her debut collection of short-stories, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003), was adapted into the popular film of the same name. The Namesake was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and was made into a major motion picture.
Unaccustomed Earth (2008) won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, while her second novel, The Lowland (2013) was a finalist for both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction.
On January 22, 2015, Lahiri won the US$50,000 DSC Prize for Literature for The Lowland. In these works, Lahiri explored the Indian-immigrant experience in America.
In 2012, Lahiri moved to Rome, Italy and has since then published two books of essays, and began writing in Italian, first with the 2018 novel Dove mi trovo, then with her 2023 collection Roman Stories. She also compiled, edited, and translated the Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories which consists of 40 Italian short stories written by 40 different Italian writers. She has also translated some of her own writings and those of other authors from Italian into English.
In 2014, Lahiri was awarded the National Humanities Medal. She was a professor of creative writing at Princeton University from 2015 to 2022. In 2022, she became the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at her alma mater, Barnard College of Columbia University.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 1, 2024
Not up to Lahiri's usual standard, in my view. Something about these stories fell flat for me. Certainly not as good as her other recent book Whereabouts (also translated from Italian, so it's not that or its recency). A little disappointing, but I still love her writing.
April 13, 2025
I had high expectations of these short stories after reading an Interpreter of Maladies. Whilst they weren’t quite as captivating and immersive as her other collection, they were still beautifully written narratives that turn over many elements of movement and belonging between and within cultures. I especially loved the final story and found it more vivid and compelling than the rest, so I would recommend sticking it out until that one (or skipping ahead to enjoy it).
January 16, 2025
1 star feels like almost too much but unfortunately that’s the only option I have on this app.
The title, the cover (at least of the UK edition) and the synopsis are deceiving. Not a pleasant read, especially as somebody from Rome, not the kind of read I was hoping for.
The title, the cover (at least of the UK edition) and the synopsis are deceiving. Not a pleasant read, especially as somebody from Rome, not the kind of read I was hoping for.
October 12, 2024
"How long must we live to learn how to survive?"
In Roman Stories, Jhumpa Lahiri tells nine stories in which nameless characters struggle with displacement, identity, alienation, and belonging.
Her narrative is elegant and poetic. I especially like how she presents Rome as an actual character in the stories, with its personality, history, and influence on the characters. It was delightful to walk through Roman streets with her insight, as if Rome was guiding us through its alleys and piazzas.
In Roman Stories, Jhumpa Lahiri tells nine stories in which nameless characters struggle with displacement, identity, alienation, and belonging.
Her narrative is elegant and poetic. I especially like how she presents Rome as an actual character in the stories, with its personality, history, and influence on the characters. It was delightful to walk through Roman streets with her insight, as if Rome was guiding us through its alleys and piazzas.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews