Jun 12, 2011

Why read? Quotes to make it clearer: Jhumpa Lahiri "Notes from a Literary Apprenticeship"



"In life, especially as a young girl, I was afraid to participate in social activities. I worried about what others might make of me, how they might judge. But when I read I was free of this worry."

"There was an arbitrary, haphazard quality to the books in our house, as there was to certain other aspects of our material lives. I craved the opposite: a house where books were a solid presence, piled on every surface and cheerfully lining the walls."
Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Interpreter of Maladies
Jhumpa Lahiri and The Mom have 
something in common,
read in the comments below.

Thanks to Bookstack for sharing the article, "Notes from a Literary Apprenticeship" from The New Yorker. Jhumpa Lahrir's reflection on how a little, book-loving girl grew into a Pulitzer Prize winning author. Her words pulled heartstrings and had The Mom running for her copy of Rootabaga Stories (see comments for more.) 
Take a moment, enjoy the full story.

3 comments, click here to read and post your own!:

The Mom said...

Life is always on full tilt around here. So much to do, so many books to read, two lovely little girls to keep up with. Thanks to Becca I found this article and slowed down this morning... just for a moment, but that was enough.

You see, Jhumpa Lahiri and I have something in common:

"In the end, I chose a book I’d never heard of, Carl Sandburg’s “Rootabaga Stories.” I wanted to love those stories, but their old-fashioned wit eluded me. And yet I kept the book as a talisman, perhaps, of that first recognition. Like the labels on the cakes and bottles that Alice discovers underground, the essential gift of my award was that it spoke to me in the imperative; for the first time, a voice in my head said, “Do this.”"

We both had a hard time with Rootabaga Stories. My story is a little different: my copy was a gift from my Uncle Dan -I wanted to badly to read it, but I just didn't get it! And until this morning, I didn't realize how much NOT reading Rootabaga Stories bothered me. I, like Jhumpa, kept the book too... so this morning, I grabbed my well worn (I tried to read it many times) copy and placed it ceremoniously on my desk with my other research. And there it will sit reminding me that sometimes you don't have to READ a book to learn from it!

Thank you Jhumpa. I think I will try to read it one more time...

12:12 PM
ravenousreader said...

Wasn't that a wonderful article? I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

I'd never even heard of Rootabaga Stories! I'm dying to read them now, though! lol

12:20 PM
jenn ryan said...

I too am intrigued to read "Rootabaga Stories"! Especially because I absolutely love to say Jhumpa Lahiri's name out loud! :) Hey BFW, what about a challenge that delves into the book you just COULDN'T finish (the first time) & then the plunge past the block & into it? I have a book in mind... Happy Reading!

7:34 AM

Post a Comment

Thanks for being part of Books for Walls Project!

Make sure to click on subscribe by email and we'll send an email when there are new comments on this post.

Want to add BOLD, italics, or a hyperlink to your comment? Click here for simple directions!

To post your name on the comment select name/url and leave the url space blank!

Problems posting? Send us an email (info@booksforwallsproject.org) and we'll give you a hand.

We are so glad you stopped by!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)