The Namesake (Magill’s Literary Annual 2004)
At a glance:
- Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
- First Published: 2003
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 1968-2000
- Setting: Calcutta, India; Boston; and New York City
- Principal Characters: Gogol Ganguli, Ashoke Ganguli, Ashima Ganguli, Maxine Ratliff, Sonali Ganguli (Sonia), Moushumi Mazoomdar
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Family or family life, New York, United States or Americans, Mothers, Parents and children, Traveling or travelers, Twentieth century, New York City, Immigration or emigration, Fathers, India or East Indian people, Boston, Trains, Names, Boys, Massachusetts, Eating customs
- Locales: New York, NY, Boston, MA, Calcutta, India
Gogol Ganguli, the protagonist of Jhumpa Lahiri’s first novel, is on a quest: He is compelled to reinvent himself, to achieve a sense of dignity that will overcome the embarrassment of his name. Born in the United States, he is the son of Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli, who were married in India in the traditional way, by parental arrangement. They strive to preserve their Bengali culture while freeing their children to become successful Americans. Unlike immigrants of earlier generations who turned their backs on the old country, knowing they could never return, the Ganguli family travels...
[The entire page is 2052 words long]
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