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Explanation and Analysis:
“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” is from Lahiri’s Pulitzer prize-winning collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, released in 1999. While the modern short story genre emerged well before then—American newspapers started featuring them during the 19th century—Lahiri’s works are among the first instances of Indian American literature. Her stories frequently feature Indian or Indian American characters who—like Lilia—must grapple with all the complexities and consequences of immigration. Protagonists bury their longings for connection, constructing meaning for themselves in ritual. They often develop friendships over food and shared hometowns, drift apart, or reach deeper self-understanding through their engagements with American society.
While Lahiri has shied away from the label of “immigrant fiction,” her work typically speaks to themes of loneliness, estrangement, and identity familiar to readers who might share similar ethnic backgrounds. At the time of its publishing, Interpreter of Maladies pioneered a new field of American-centered Indian writing, broadening the scope of Asian American literature from what had been previously centered around The Joy Luck Club and The Woman Warrior. Lahiri’s writing has since continued to pave the way. Works such as Sanjena Sathian’s Gold Diggers and Akhil Sharma’s Family Life explore similar issues about the Indian diaspora and belonging in America.
