Lahiri was born in London, England, and raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, from age three. Her father, Amar, a librarian at the University of Rhode Island, and her mother, Tia, a teacher's aide at a Rhode Island elementary school, immigrated to the United States from Calcutta, India. Lahiri also has a sister seven years her junior. A shy child, Lahiri sought out other quiet children who liked to read. She began writing in grade school, composing ten-page "novels" at recess with her friends. "Writing allowed me to observe and make sense of things without having to participate," she remarked in a Newsweek International interview. "I didn't belong. I looked different and felt like an outsider."
Develops Multicultural Perspective
Although Lahiri grew up in the United States and considers herself an American writer, she has found that it is sometimes difficult to see herself as an American. Her parents always considered India their home, even after living abroad for thirty years. "It was important to my mother to raise her children as Indian, thinking and doing things in an Indian way, whatever that means," Lahiri recalled to Mervyn Rothstein in the New York Times. While growing up, Lahiri visited India often, usually every few years, and her visits there lasted from three weeks to as long as six months at a time.
This is a free page. This page contains 196 words. This
biography contains 1,835 words (approx. 6 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Biography with our Jhumpa Lahiri Access Pass.
