Summary
Elizabeth Day talks to the writer Jhumpa Lahiri, whose latest novel, Whereabouts, was originally written in Italian, a language she learned in her 40s. Whereabouts tells the story of an unnamed middle-aged woman who meanders through a Northern Italian city, sharing her observations on everything from having a manicure to walking a friend’s dog. Lahiri builds up a mosaic of such moments, interspersing them with deeper glimpses into the woman’s relationship with her parents and the sudden death of her father when she was 15. Jhumpa Lahiri has long been interested in themes of dislocation and belonging, the daughter of Bengali immigrants who moved to New York, her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies, was a short story collection which won a Pulitzer Prize.
The programme also explores the life and writing of the English mid century writer Barbara Pym. Best known for her novels, Excellent Women, Jane and Prudence, and A Glass of Blessings, Pym created sharp observational comedies in which little happens, but a great deal is conveyed. Paula Byrne has written an illuminating new biography, The Adventures of Miss Pym, and talks to Elizabeth about the connections between her tumultuous life and her writing, and they are joined by the writer and lifelong Pym fan, Philip Hensher.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy. |
| 0:05.4 | My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:10.8 | The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that. |
| 0:17.5 | With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to |
| 0:22.4 | helping you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put |
| 0:28.3 | together by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life, |
| 0:35.0 | check out BBC Sounds. |
| 0:41.2 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:47.1 | Today we'll be hanging out with two excellent women who refuse to live by the rules, |
| 0:53.9 | with a new biography of Barbara Pym and a single female protagonist who is alone, but never lonely. |
| 1:00.2 | We start with Jumper Lahiri, whose latest novel, Whereabouts, was originally written in Italian, |
| 1:02.6 | a language she learned in her 40s. |
| 1:08.2 | Three years on from its first publication, Lahiri has translated it herself into English. |
| 1:13.3 | Whereabouts tells the story of an unnamed middle-aged woman who meanders through a northern Italian city, sharing her observations on everything from having a manicure to walking |
| 1:19.6 | a friend's dog. Lahiri has long been interested in themes of dislocation and belonging. |
| 1:25.4 | She is the daughter of Bengali immigrants, who moved to New York |
| 1:28.3 | when she was a toddler. Her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies, was a short story collection |
| 1:33.6 | which won the Pulitzer. Since then, she has written three novels, including the book |
| 1:38.0 | a shortlisted The Lowland and one work of non-fiction in Italian. And I'm delighted to say |
| 1:43.9 | that the linguistically gifted Jumper |
| 1:46.0 | Lahiri joins me from New York. Now, as I mentioned, you first wrote the Italian version |
| 1:51.9 | of whereabout some years ago, but for me, a story about a woman taking daily walks around a city |
... |
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