Ashoke suggests the name of gogol, in honor of the famous russian author nikolai gogol, to be the babys pet name, and they use this name on. How does gogol lose first his public name, his bhalonam, and then his private pet name, his daknam. In this novel, the main characters ashima and her husband, ashoke. The the namesake quotes below are all either spoken by gogolnikhil ganguli or refer to gogolnikhil ganguli. The name frustrates gogol, just as his parents traditional values. A novel to download this book the link is on the last page. Description jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young writer as one the. She followed up in 2003 with her first novel, the namesake, and returned to short stories with the no. The couple waits for their sons good name to come in a letter from ashimas grandmother in india, but in the meantime they must give the hospital a temporary pet name, and so they settle on gogol, the writer whose book. Jhumpa lahiri is a pulitzer prizewinning author known for works of fiction like interpreter of maladies, the namesake, unaccustomed earth and the lowland. San jose mercury news lahiri handles issues of assimilation and. Lahiri masterfully weaves a compelling story that doesnt fall into the trap that most short story writers get into when they write a full novel inevitably most seem drawn out and boring, as if the writer. Culture evolves, having protective and unifying functions but ethnocentric and egocentric views to preserve it as the set traditions makes a community regressive and the children at a loss.
In the namesake, lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. Jhumpa lahiri has 57 books on goodreads with 1040956 ratings. One of the most anticipated books of the year, lahiris first novel after. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a fulllength novel. Gogol grows to hate his name, and at 18 the beatlesloving yale freshman changes it officially to nikhil. In early 2001, lahiri married alberto vourvoulias bush, a journalist with time magazine, in a traditional bengali wedding ceremony in kolkata or calcutta. So when the book talks about bengali traditions, bengali language, and bengali people, just remember that theyre from bengal. Lahiri brings great empathy to gogol as he stumbles along the firstgeneration path, strewn with conflicting loyalties, comic detours, and wrenching love. How does he try to remake his identity, after choosing to rename himself, and what is the result. In the months of pain and injury that follow, both author and book take.
Her stories are one of the very few debut works and only a. The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended. Gogol is ashokes favorite author, in part because ashoke was reading gogol during the. The books of namesake fanworks the art of namesake links. Much has happened in the life of jhumpa lahiri since she was awarded the 2000 pulitzer prize for her first book, interpreter of maladies, an exquisite collection of short stories. I felt that the theme of gogols problem with his name was weak and felt. Seattle this second book lahiris pace and accent are unmistakable. Buy the namesake by lahiri, jhumpa from amazons fiction books store. Essays and criticism on jhumpa lahiris the namesake critical essays. A summary of chapter 2 in jhumpa lahiris the namesake.
Almost by mistake, the boy comes to be known as gogol, named for his fathers favorite russian author. In her first novel, jhumpa lahiri informs us that bengali. Jhumpa lahiris subtle style and neat asides enchant julie myerson in the. The namesake is a finetuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity. His name was appropriated by writer ian fleming for his fictional british spy of the same name.
Her stories are one of the very few debut works and only a handful of. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. May 14, 2019 jhumpa lahiri is a pulitzer prizewinning author known for works of fiction like interpreter of maladies, the namesake, unaccustomed earth and the lowland. Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta. I enjoyed the film but, as often is the case, i found it to fall short of the book, whose power made me an instant fan of lahiris watch for a cameo appearance by her in the film as aunt jhumpa. The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by sooni taraporevala based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. Jhumpa lahiri is the author of four works of fiction.
A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. India is a huge country, and bengal is just one part of it. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prizewinning short story collection interpreter of maladies. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri goodreads share book. That level of expectation usually only serves to hurt a book, but the namesake is up to the task. The namesake of the title, named after his fathers favorite russian writer, nikolai.
Lahiri masterfully weaves a compelling story that doesnt fall into the trap that most short story writers get into when they write a full novel inevitably most seem drawn out and boring, as if the writer is simply trying to fill the pages. The matter becomes contentious and is hashed out at tedious length. Brought up in america by a mother who wanted to raise her children to be indian, she learned about her bengali heritage from an early age. Jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young writer as one the most brilliant of her. In the months of pain and injury that follow, both author and book take on a. Almost two decades later, gogol is finding his strange name neither. Ashima and ashoke agree to register the boys legal name as gogol. Nov, 2018 the writer of the namesake is an american author. In the namesake, a bengalese couple name their son after the russian writer nikolai gogol. Russian writer by his indian parents in memory of a catastrophe years before, gogol ganguli knows only that he suffers the burden of his heritage as well as his odd, antic name. Nilanjana sudeshna jhumpa lahiri was born in london and brought up in south kingstown, rhode island. Author interview jhumpa lahiri, author of the namesake. If you are looking for a way to better understand and help you connect to your family and cultural then the namesake by jhumpa lahiri is the book for you.
The namesake, written by jhumpa lahira, a famous indian writer who won the pulitzer prize for her story collection interpreter of maladies, brilliantly illustrates the immigrant experience and the tangled ties between generations. James bond january 4, 1900 february 14, 1989 was an american ornithologist and expert on the birds of the caribbean. The namesake of the title, named after his fathers favorite russian writer, nikolai gogol 18091852. A leap ahead to the 80s finds the teenage gogol ashamed of his indian heritage and his unusual name, which he sheds as he moves on to college at yale and. In this second book lahiris pace and accent are unmistakable. Her stories are one of the very few debut works and only a handful of collections to have won the pulitzer prize for fiction. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious.
Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the namesake and what it means. A family death hastens his coming to terms with his name. In a harrowing flashback, the reason for ashokes attachment to the russian writer is revealed. Sep 16, 2003 what is a problem is naming their son.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The namesake introduction the way my parents explain it to me is that they have spent their immigrant lives feeling as if they are on a river with a foot in two different boats, she relates. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant access. A leap ahead to the 80s finds the teenage gogol ashamed of his indian heritage and his unusual name, which he sheds as he moves on to.
Jhumpa lahiris novel the namesake deftly demonstrates how the familiar. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. In a harrowing flashback, the reason for ashokes attachment to the russian writer. Jan 27, 2019 named for a russian writer by his indian parents in memory of a catastrophe years before, gogol ganguli knows only that he suffers the burden of his heritage as well as his odd, antic name. Lahiri in the namesake is different agreeing with the facts and reality. And when the namesake refers to bengalis, its being more specific that using the term indian. The name frustrates gogol, just as his parents traditional values embarrass him. Ashima and ashoke ganguli arrive in america at the end of the 1960s, shortly after their arranged marriage in calcutta, in order for ashoke to f. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of the namesake. In her small apartment kitchen in cambridge, massachusetts, ashima ganguli is mixing together rice krispies, peanuts, diced. Jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young writer as one the most brilliant of her generation.
Years before in india, a book by gogol had saved ashokes life in a train wreck, so he wants to name the boy gogol. A family death hastens his coming to terms with his name and his roots and ashimas determination of where she will live once she has a choice. The namesake, written by jhumpa lahira, a famous indian writer who won the pulitzer prize for her story collection interpreter of maladies, brilliantly illustrates the immigrant experience and. My first impression about the book the namesake by dampa lahiri. The namesake is a novel by jhumpa lahiri that was first published in 2003. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. The character of gogolnikhil ganguli in the namesake from. Gogol is ashokes favorite author, in part because ashoke was reading gogol during the train. Much has happened in the life of jhumpa lahiri since she was awarded the 2000 pulitzer prize for her first book, interpreter of maladies, an exquisite collection of short stories whose central characters are indian immigrants to america. The title the namesake reflects the struggles gogol ganguli goes through to identify with his unusual names. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. The namesake is a story of the power of a name and of family.
The novel deals with the identity issues of a boy in america, born to bengali immigrant parents, who finds it difficult to agree with many things his parents say, starting with his name. As his grandmother had died just before his birth, his father decided to give him the name of the famous russian writer gogol. Lahiris prose describes well the struggle of both first and second generation immigrants who are caught between two worlds, yet her narrative failed to draw me into the emotional struggle of her characters. Nilanjana sudeshna jhumpa lahiri born july 11, 1967 is an american author known for her short stories, novels and essays in english, and, more recently, in italian her debut collection of shortstories interpreter of maladies 1999 won the pulitzer prize for fiction and the penhemingway award, and her first novel, the namesake 2003, was adapted into the popular film of the same name.
We watch gogol grow up american with roots he only begins to appreciate when he visits india in his 20s. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Jhumpa lahiris first novel, the namesake, begins with a recipe. The namesake, jhumpa lahiri the namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. Ashoke, nearly killed in a train accident as a young man in india, decides that the boys nickname, or pet name, should be gogol, after nikolai gogol, the russian writer. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book. You can read the newest page by going here archive. Select a strip from the dropdown menu to start reading the comic. The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. Gogola pet name that becomes permanent when his formal name. The title the namesake reflects the struggles gogol ganguli goes.
For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related. They name their son nikhil, with the pet name of gogol, after ashokes favorite writer. I enjoyed the film but, as often is the case, i found it to fall short of the book. A firstgeneration indian american whose uneasiness with his name exemplifies his difficulties in fitting in, either to his parents expatriate world or to the world inhabited so comfortably by his american peers. In the process of writing the book, i realized that it was important and inevitable for him to accept his name, to realize that there is never a way to shed what is given to you by your parents. Nikolai gogol was chosen as a namesake not only because he was ashokes favorite writer, but also because the protagonists father thought the book of this author had saved his life in the train accident. San jose mercury news lahiri handles issues of assimilation and belonging with her trademark mix of quiet observation and heartbreaking honesty.
This was a very peculiar name as it was neither indian, nor american, and not even russian, because in russian gogol is actually a surname. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. Nilanjana sudeshna jhumpa lahiri is a very well known and a very impressive short story writer as well. How does gogol lose first his public name, his bhalonam, and then his private pet name. She is also a winner of many of the big awards as well. The original spark for the novel was to write about a boy with a peculiar name, a name that sort of plagued him, lahiri says. My favorite book in print and audio when i do recommend the namesake to anyone wholl listen to me gush, i always warn them that not a lot happens in the book. The couple waits for their sons good name to come in a letter from ashimas grandmother in india, but in the meantime they must give the hospital a temporary pet name, and so they settle on gogol, the writer whose book saved ashokes life and made possible this new one. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of. The namesake is the first novel written by jhumpa lahiri whose debut collection of short stories, interpreter of maladies, won the pulitzer prize in 2000. The namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. Jan 16, 2004 the namesake by jhumpa lahiri 304pp, flamingo. Thats our ohso wise author, jhumpa lahiri talking about how her parents felt as. The hero, named after the russian writer gogol, misses out on a proper in bengali.
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