Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri: A Pulitzer Prize Winner’s Return to Short Fiction
About the Book
Roman Stories is Jhumpa Lahiri’s first short story collection since her bestseller Unaccustomed Earth. Originally written in Italian and brought to English by the author herself alongside translator Todd Portnowitz, this nine story collection turns Rome into a living, breathing character rather than a simple backdrop.
About the Author
Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for her debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies, and has written celebrated works including The Namesake and The Lowland. She began writing in Italian in 2015 and has since built a body of work exploring language, identity, and belonging from a completely new creative angle.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is perfect for readers who love quiet, character driven literary fiction and stories about immigration, identity, and displacement. It also suits fans of Lahiri’s earlier work who want to see her writing in a fresh setting, and anyone curious about Rome from an angle tourists rarely see.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Roman Stories a novel or a short story collection?
Roman Stories is a short story collection featuring nine separate but thematically connected stories, all set in and around Rome.
Do I need to read Jhumpa Lahiri’s other books first?
No. Roman Stories stands completely on its own and does not require any prior knowledge of Lahiri’s earlier novels or collections.
Was Roman Stories originally written in English?
No. Lahiri wrote these stories in Italian, and the English edition was translated by the author together with Todd Portnowitz.