Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Zero to Well-Read

Riot New Media Group, Inc.

Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.7 • 837 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 113 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How did a debut short story collection by an unknown writer become one of the most significant publishing successes of the twentieth century? Jeff and Rebecca are joined by literary historian and data scientist Dr. Laura McGrath for a conversation about Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies. They explore what makes Lahiri's stories so meaningful and memorable, chart the book's path from paperback original to Pulitzer Prize winner, and marvel at the word-of-mouth magic that a turned a book that began with the most modest of prospects into a bestseller with more than 15 million copies in print. You can find Laura's book Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction wherever books are sold. Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content. Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read! Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth. Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Zero to Well Read is sponsored by Thriftbooks.com.
0:03.0	Today on the show, we're talking about Jumpa Lahiri's interpreter maladies,
0:07.6	a contemporary classic, a modern masterpiece, something that Rebecca and I both love.
0:11.7	And we're joined by a special guest.
0:13.7	You're going to hear about one of the quirks of this book is a paperback original.
0:17.2	So I'm not, I sometimes have a collector's heart and sometimes I don't, but I really want this in a paperback if you're getting one of these.
0:24.6	Weirdly, the original cover design, it's a little hard to find in the original paperback.
0:29.6	I'm not even talking about first edition, but like subsequent reprints, but there is a hardcover that's available in the first edition cover design, orangey, gauzy, hued, with a
0:40.8	couple of candles on it.
0:41.8	That's the one I really want there.
0:43.4	Most of them you're going to find have the winner of the Pulitzer Prize sticker.
0:46.6	I think I actually print it on there.
0:48.2	If you can find one that doesn't grab you one of those, because that's their super rare.
0:52.0	You can browse those and other editions on thriftbooks.com.
0:55.3	Thanks to them for sponsoring this episode of Zero to Well Red.
1:02.7	Welcome to Zero to Well Red, a podcast of Everything You Need to Know about the books you
1:06.9	wish you read. I'm Jeff O'Neill. And I'm Rebecca Shinsky. This week, we're delving into our first
1:11.4	short story collection, Junful Lahiri's 1999 debut interpreter of maladies. And we have a very special
1:17.7	guest joining us. Dr. Laura McGrath is an English professor, literary historian, and data
1:22.9	scientist. Listeners of the Book Riot podcast might have heard her over there, where she's our
1:27.1	regular publishing data correspondent. And her book, Middlemen, Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction is out today as you're hearing this. Laura, thanks for being with us. Thank you so much for having me. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. And I love this podcast so much. It's a delight. We're going to ask Laura why she's here for
1:45.9	this book in just a second. Rebecca and Laura ganged up to make this plan. I'm delighted to be a part of it,
	...

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