A book to savor, certainly one of the best of the year. Books play an important role in many key scenes in the novel, beginning in the first chapter with the young ashokes allconsuming love for thema love that saves his life, and gives gogol his nameand ending with gogols chance discovery of the book his father had given him for his birthday more than a decade before. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri goodreads share book. Ashoke is forwardthinking, ready to enter into american culture if not fully at least with an open mind. March 9, 2007 in the namesake, the film based on the bestselling novel by jhumpa lahiri, a family from india struggles with the immigrant experience and the meaning of identity. So when the book talks about bengali traditions, bengali language, and bengali people, just remember that theyre from bengal. This title is no longer available for programming after the 201819 grant year. The namesake cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Ashoke decided to move to boston and begin graduate school after barely surviving a catastrophic train accident in india. This image, of nearindian food being made with american ingredients, is a fitting symbol of ashimas early years in boston. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri, stresses the importance of name and identity and has been the underlying force that dictated the characters believe and decision making throughout the book.
A dropped page of that book caused the authorities to recognize ashoke in the. Books are records of the past and carriers of names, as in the case. Book summary the namesake covers five primary periods in the life of the ganguli family 1. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prizewinning short story collection interpreter of maladies. For those of you who havent read it, its about an indian couple who have an arranged marriage and move to the u. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. Press release for the namesake published by houghton. And so ashima and ashoke have agreed to put off the decision of what to name the baby until a letter comes. Fundamentally, the book and the film both deal with the same topic of displacement and the creation of identity and the film is. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prize winning short story collection interpreter of maladies. Get an answer for what is meant by the word namesake in the namesake. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades.
Jan 16, 2004 the namesake by jhumpa lahiri 304pp, flamingo. Lahiri was awarded a guggenheim fellowship in 2002. Sa americanborn gogol ganguli hates his name, and doesnt care that his indian father chose it in memory of the russian writer, even if that gogol was a genius. 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. Cchs honors english 10 cabana the namesake study guide by khintze includes 27 questions covering vocabulary, terms and more. 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. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious. Novels of identity abound, but few present as much reading pleasure as the namesake. I saw the namesake tonight, which is based on jumpa lahiris book the namesake. Fundamentally, the book and the film both deal with the same topic of displacement and the creation of identity and the film is, for the most part, true to the narrative of the novel. The fiveyearold objects, and school administrators intervene on his behalf, sending him home with a note. This is the type of book that keeps you reading, especially if you enjoy dark humor. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. Hopelessly devoted bibliophile the novel shapes up to be.
Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta. Jhumpa lahiris novel the namesake deftly demonstrates how the familiar struggles. Chapters 1 and 2 narrate the story of the gangulis early days in america. In the namesake, everybody is just a little bit lost. The name frustrates gogol, just as his parents traditional values embarrass him. India is a huge country, and bengal is just one part of it. In the namesake, a bengalese couple name their son after the russian writer nikolai gogol. The first novel from the author of interpreter of maladies, winner of the 2000 pulitzer prize for fiction in the namesake, jhumpa lahiri brings her poignant style and acute observations about what it means to be an immigrant, and what it means to be part of a family, to the crosscultural, multigenerational story of the ganguli family. Born on july 11, 1967, in london, england, to bengali parentage, author jhumpa lahiri published her debut in 1999, interpreter of maladies, winning the pulitzer prize.
Lahiri does a wonderful job of giving you a well thought out and organized story of a young boy. She followed up in 2003 with her first novel, the namesake, and. Thompson and knight followed up eloise 1955 with four sequels eloise is a young girl who lives in the room on the tippytop floor of the plaza hotel in new york city with her nanny, her pug dog, weenie, and her turtle, skipperdee. Lahiri, who appeared awkward working the crowd at bea, may take. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural. And so it occurs to him that no one he knows in the world, in russia or india or america or anywhere, shares his name. Seattle this second book lahiris pace and accent are unmistakable. Press release for the namesake published by houghton mifflin. I think jhumpa lahiri wrote the namesake to illustrate the struggle of immigrants in harsh and helpless environments.
And when the namesake refers to bengalis, its being more specific that using the term indian. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fictionfantasy. 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. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. Reviewing the russian connection he had been traumatized since the accident claustrophobia and nightmares brought back haunting memories of that train accident throughout his life till his death in the usa. One of the most anticipated books of the year, lahiris first novel after. A musical based on the same story appeared in the west end during the 1980s. Read free book excerpt from the namesake by jhumpa lahiri, page 1 of 10. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the namesake by jhumpa lahiri.
The namesake by jhumpa lahiri read online on bookmate. Sep 16, 2003 girlfriend number three is an ultrasophisticated indian academic with as little interest in bengali culture as gogol. The namesake, jhumpa lahiri the namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri. The young couple met through an arranged marriage in calcutta, india, where ashima had lived her whole life before. The namesake is a novel by jhumpa lahiri that was first published in 2003.
Hes going to look into that and perhaps find the secret there. Among the many other awards and honors it received were the new yorker debut of the year award, the penhemingway award, and. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended. The traditional naming process in their families is to have an elder who will give the new baby a name, and the parents. When ashima ganguli becomes pregnant with her first child she has only lived in america for a short time and is still getting used to the unusual culture. Arjun and his village in india written and illustrated by carol barker. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri, has many different themes that are. Lahiri wastes few words in the namesake as she shuttles readers back and forth in time. Girlfriend number three is an ultrasophisticated indian academic with as little interest in bengali culture as gogol.
The namesake by jhumpa lahiri paperback harpercollins. The symbol of books in the namesake from litcharts the. What is meant by the word namesake in the namesake. And at i think at that point towards the end of the book is when he really decides that hes going to look back into this very cryptic book by the russian author gogol that his father has named him after. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a fulllength novel.
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. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. The namesake film 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. In the case of the namesake, though not exactly like the book, mira nairs film is still a faithful representation of jhumpa lahiris novel. The namesake is the story of two generations of the gangulis, a family of indian immigrants to the united states when we first meet ashoke and ashima ganguli they are living in a small apartment in cambridge, massachusetts, about to welcome their first child into the world. This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the namesake. Eloise is a series of childrens books written in the 1950s by kay thompson 19091998 and illustrated by hilary knight b. Can you talk a bit about the significance of setting in your work. She wanted to show how difficult it is for first generation immigrants to adapt to a totally new environment without any assistance. Did the namesake allow you to think of america in a new way. The closest intimacy they share before their wedding is when ashima steps briefly, secretly, into ashokes shoes.
The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c. The novel tells of the lives of ashima and asoke ganguli and how they leave behind a. Practically every character struggles with his or her identity, because practically every character feels the tug and pull of different cultures, different traditions, and different dreams. The namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. March 9, 2007 in the namesake, the film based on the bestselling novel by jhumpa lahiri, a family from india struggles with the immigrant experience and. A when i began writing fiction seriously, my first attempts were, for some reason, always set in calcutta, which is a city i know quite well as a result of. 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.
A struggle for identity the namesake, by jhumpa lahiri, is a story of culture, race, and inheritance, and how these factors mold our attitudes and direct our lives in a society that is everchanging. Book summary the namesake covers five primary periods in the life of the ganguli family. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. A disappointingly bland followup to a stellar story collection. In 2003 days after its publication, i could hardly put down pulitzerwinning jhumpa lahiris novel the namesake. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet.
The namesake asian american literature in any story, movie, novel, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, suspense or drama, there are always themes that signify the main elements of that selection. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. Jhumpa lahiri is the author of four works of fiction. In the novels opening pages, ashima ganguli, who left india to join her. Sep 16, 2003 the namesake follows the ganguli family through its journey from calcutta to cambridge to the boston suburbs. Q in your first book, interpreter of maladies, some of the stories are set in india, others in the united states. In the first moments of chapter 1, ashima is using american ingredients like rice krispies and peanuts to make an imitation of a snack she used to enjoy in india. The namesake is a novel of selfdiscovery that is an emotional journey its readers will not soon forget.
In august 1968, ashoke and ashima ganguli welcome their brand new baby boy into the world. The point of view of this novel is third person omniscient. Only in order to be released from their hospital in cambridge, massachusetts, they must break with bengali custom and give their son an official name on that pesky birth certificate. The namesake custom leather jackets by toronto based designer, rosa halpern. Ashoke died of a massive cardiac arrest when his son gogol was in his twenties. When her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at the prospect of naming the familys first sahib. The marriage of ashima and ashoke is arranged by their families. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Steven parlatos the namesake totally knocked me off my feet. Bengali couple who immigrated to the united kingdom from calcutta, india.
He meets a girl there named ruth, and they fall in love, dating for over a year. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by indianamerican author jhumpa lahiri and. 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 finish his engineering degree at mit. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of.
But ashimas grandmother, who has the ceremonial honor of naming the boy, suffers a. Lahiri was born in london to bengali immigrants, raised in rhode island, and now lives in brooklyn. When her grandmother learned of ashimas pregnancy, she was particularly thrilled at. 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. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of the namesake. Do you agree that america is a real presence in the namesake. The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. The namesake is set predominantly in the united states.
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