What is Jhumpa Lahiri's stance on having a mother tongue?

Jhumpa Lahiri states she has no mother tongue and has always felt outside of all languages, challenging the idea that identity must be anchored to a single native language.

How does Jhumpa Lahiri view language and identity?

Jhumpa Lahiri advocates for linguistic fluidity, migration, and creative trespass, encouraging writers to learn other languages as a way to cross boundaries.

Where does Jhumpa Lahiri find a sense of home?

Jhumpa Lahiri finds home not tied to a nation or tongue, but carries elements of it with her, like a tortoise, finding solace in libraries, by the sea, and with loved ones.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Lahiri Rejects 'Mother Tongue,' Embraces Linguistic Fluidity

Lahiri Rejects 'Mother Tongue,' Embraces Linguistic Fluidity

31 Jan

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Summary

Jhumpa Lahiri declares she has no mother tongue, feeling outside of all languages.
She advocates for linguistic fluidity, migration, and creative trespass in writing.
Lahiri finds home not in a place, but in libraries, the sea, and loved ones.

Lahiri Rejects 'Mother Tongue,' Embraces Linguistic Fluidity

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has declared she has no mother tongue, feeling perpetually outside of all languages. Her comments came during an event in New Delhi, marking her return to India's public stage after 12 years. Lahiri, born in London to Bengali parents and raised in the US, challenges the idea that identity must be tied to a single native language.

She advocates for linguistic fluidity and encourages writers to learn other languages as a radical act of crossing boundaries. While cautioning against linguistic domination and nationalism, Lahiri's own journey includes writing original works in Italian since around 2012. She relocated her family to Rome then, seeking freedom from the perceived "overbearing" perfection of her English works.