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The Namesake
May 4, 2026 8:00 AM

  

The Namesake1

  Jhumpa Lahiri Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake (2003), in 2003. (more) The Namesake novel by Lahiri Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Namesake-The Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

  External Websites National Public Radio - Writer Jhumpa Lahiri Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson is a doctoral candidate writing on the sexually dissident subject in contemporary Indian Anglophone literature at the University of Oxford. She is also a contributor to 1001 Books... Bianca Jackson Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Mar 14, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot The Namesake, first novel by English-born American writer Jhumpa Lahiri, published in 2003. It explored similar themes to those in her debut work, a collection of short stories entitled Interpreter of Maladies (1999), which had earned her the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The story begins in an apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1968, where newlywed Ashima Ganguli is going into labor. She and her husband, electrical-engineering student Ashoke, go to the hospital. Ashima and Ashoke had wed in a marriage arranged by their Bengali parents in Calcutta (Kolkata) not long before. Ashoke recalls the moment in 1961 when he was ...(100 of 629 words)

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