Book Review #67 : In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri , Ann Goldstein (Translator)

-

 


Being a literary fan of Jhumpa Lahiri’s work, I am always attracted to every creation of her. This time, this book felt different. It was like a calm confrontation of the chaos that happened with any writer/learner, who tried to indulge oneself into the stranger yet passionate world of other literature. The author is not used to presenting herself in autobiographical glimpses, in any form of her writings. But through this small showdown of her struggles, she captured everything in other words. 


“In Other Words” has given many sides of Jhumpa, through her linguistic journey. Being a Bengali from the heart and pampered in the US, she discovered a new zeal for some third love. In this book, she described how it is so simple and yet difficult to be involved with the passion that is not at all born and related to her in any form. She had started getting affectionate with a strange partner - the language ‘Italian’ - so much so that she wanted to break the knot of her past existence and be merged in the ocean of the fresh and raw city of her dreams. 


There are innumerable instances in her work where she clearly stated her conflicts between mind and heart. Through several off-beat feelings, she explained how learning a new language in the new city is not an easy job. From keeping a pocket dictionary, taking countless lessons, noting down even trivial foreign words as her personal thesaurus, practicing conversation with people to writing her own novel, she had achieved an honor for herself. 


Being already a renowned writer in English, to falling down in the insecurities of lingual mistakes carelessly in Italian, she swam through the rough patches. And yet, she explained the dilemma of not associating herself with the native street of recognition in Rome. There are uncounted mentions of several Italian words and their history of her learning. I wish I could understand the essence, if I would have known Italian even a bit. And I think that’s the only reason she didn’t translate the book herself to English, because she didn’t want to mix the flavor of victory with cognised English forms. 


This is my first translated book read till now, where I found the keen interest to learn the original piece written by the author. Let’s hope to visit the streets of Rome and discover the urge to understand the air of ecstasy some day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The importance of mentorship in the next generation’s lives

-
Image
  There’s a famous book “Tuesday with Morrie” , written by Mitch Albom in which the character Morrie quotes “The most important thing I can say to you is, 'Teach.' You want to know what's wrong with the world? Ask yourself what's right with it. When you get the answer to that, go out and teach somebody.” This line made an outstanding mark on my beliefs, when I first read the book. Giving you a short glimpse, this is a heartwarming story of a dying professor imparting life lessons to his former student, showcasing the transformative power of mentorship and wisdom it can offer.  There are innumerable facts and real life examples where we can clearly see the importance of mentorship in any generation, whether it be the age of Chanakya’s authority or the digital era of Physics Wala, Khan Sir and many more . At every step of doubt, one looks forward to the resolution suggested by their mentor. And it’s not necessary that the guidance should be in academics only. Life is its...
Read more

Navratri Bloghop

-
Image
  I don’t have any specific opinion on feminism. Neither do I like to differentiate anything that is beyond the reach of gender neutrality. But I know for a fact that women are the most powerful creatures on this planet. They have the power to create a new life, suffer with blood every month and balance the mundane life with utmost pride all the time. They not only bloom but also spread the fragrance around them. I am also surrounded with such a wonderful community of women, who always support me in my lows and cheer for me in my highs.  @Unicorn and @Authoropod have collaborated this time on the special occasion of Navratri, and I am so happy to contribute my flavor of colors in 9 different ways. I want to dedicate the essence of these shades to the strong women pillars of my life. Orange : Warmth and energy There’s no one more deserving than my grandmother and mother for this impregnable title. Both of them have always given me warmth so that I always feel secure. They pr...
Read more

Mithila Nagri

-
Image
 There’s a common saying that the roots will never change, no matter how much surroundings try to change a person. Earlier I never understood this, as I always thought that we are bound to change ourselves according to the places we live. But after experiencing almost 3 decades, now I understand the value of “origin”. I feel so proud that I came from the land of Mithila, also known as Janakpurdham , an ancient cultural and religious hub located in the southern part of Nepal and the northern part of the Indian state of Bihar. I am sure, most of the people don’t even know about the various facts of Ramayana, that actually happened on this holy land. There are several facts, customs, folk songs and foods that I want to highlight today, which make me a member of true Mithila family, and I am so honored that I get to write my experiences here, taking reference from Mithila Nagri: In our families, we cherish folksongs and are sung on every festive occasions like Durga puja, Ramnavmi, Kal...
Read more