If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
Fiction is the only way I know a human being can inhabit the mind of another human being.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fiction allows us to understand and empathize with others' thoughts and feelings.
This quote emphasizes the unique power of fiction to bridge the gap between individuals by enabling one person to experience the inner thoughts and emotions of another. Through storytelling, readers can inhabit diverse perspectives and gain insights into the human experience that are often inaccessible in real life.
Themes
FictionEmpathyUnderstandingStoriesHuman Experience
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion about character development.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes →When I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
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