Jhumpa Lahiri says the phrase ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ came to her in grad school
Jhumpa Lahiri says the phrase ‘Interpreter of Maladies’ came to her in grad school  
Podcast: NPR's Book of the Day
Published On: Mon Sep 15 2025
Description: It’s Back to School week at NPR’s Book of the Day, which means we’re looking back at interviews with authors who may have shown up on your high school syllabus. First, Jhumpa Lahiri debuted her short story collection Interpreter of Maladies in 1999. In the title story, an American family visits India and their guide develops an infatuation with the wife. In today’s episode, Lahiri speaks with NPR’s Liane Hansen about the inspiration behind the book’s title, the author’s relationship with speaking Bengali, and Lahiri’s experience writing a story from a male perspective.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayTo manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy