Jhumpa Lahiri, with a Bullet
For the readers of this blog in the subcontinent, this week’s NYT Book Review has the following news:
Jhumpa Lahiri, With a Bullet
By Dwight Garner
Unaccustomed EarthThere are not a lot of surprises, week in and week out, at the upper reaches of the Times fiction bestseller list. But occasionally a comet lands and flattens the forest, sending the usual critters running.
That will happen on the April 20 bestseller list - that week’s issue went to press last night - when Jhumpa Lahiri’s second story collection, “Unaccustomed Earth,” debuts in the No. 1 slot.
It’s hard to remember the last genuinely serious, well-written work of fiction — particularly a book of stories — that leapt straight to No. 1; it’s a powerful demonstration of Lahiri’s newfound commercial clout.
This first appeared on the NYT Book Review blog Paper Cuts started by Dwight Gardner.
I think she’s the second desi to hit no 1 after Rushdie in the New York Times bestseller list. In fact who else has hit no 1 anywhere else internationally?
Comment by Chiki — April 20, 2008 @ 3:58 pm