An Evening with Jhumpa Lahiri

ADMISSION: Admission is free and open to everyone. Reservations required. Book signing to follow. DESCRIPTION: Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and short story writer Jhumpa Lahiri will be the recipient of the 2026 Chowdhury Prize in Literature, an international award. The prize is awarded annually to honor authors for their past achievements and to help facilitate their efforts to forge new territories. Previous recipients include Christos Ikonomou, Victoria Chang, Zadie Smith, and Claire Dederer. As a global writer whose career spans nearly 30 years and three continents, Lahiri centers her work on the necessity of identity and connection. Unafraid to push herself and her readers, she writes to build bridges between cultures. From domestic dramas to epic narratives that explore the Indian diaspora, Lahiri’s writing engages both the heart and the mind. What to Expect: The 2026 Chowdhury Prize in Literature will be presented to critically acclaimed author, Jhumpa Lahiri. Following the presentation and a reading of her work, Lahiri will participate in an illuminating conversation with USC English professor, David Lawnrence Ulin. Bios: Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut collection of short-stories, Interpreter of Maladies (1999), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and her first novel, The Namesake (2003), was adapted into the popular film of the same name. Unaccustomed Earth (2008) won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, while her second nov