The Collection “Interpreter of Maladies” by J. Lahiri as a Multicultural Literary Text

Abstract

Bengali-American writer J. Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is among those critics call representatives of ethnic literature. She explores the experiences of immigrants (Indians in America) and the gaps they face between their native and adopted cultures. Her stories focus on identity and ethnicity. Lahiri’s works offer insights into national and cultural diversity, which accounts for the relevance of this article; in today’s multipolar world, cultural interactions are constant, and the importance of understanding these dynamics within fiction is undeniable. The article aims to characterize not only the specific features of Indian culture but also its hybrid variants, which emerge from the characters’ attempts to adapt to a new environment. A study of J. Lahiri’s works requires not only traditional methods (biographical, cultural-historical, comparative), but also an interdisciplinary approach drawing primarily on developments in cultural linguistics and intercultural communication. In examining the text, we focus on the cultural parameters proposed by G. Hofstede and E. Hall: power distance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, and high-context and low-context cultures. An analysis of J. Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies demonstrates that texts created within the framework of ethnic literature represent complex cultural and linguistic phenomena rich in cultural information. Such works can be viewed as a source of information about the culture and specific aspects of Indian life (at home and in immigration), helping to understand their worldview. Readers who encounter such a work of fiction but belong to a different linguistic culture must consider the ethnocultural specifics of the text being studied in order to interpret it correctly. This layer of American literature has only recently become a subject of scholarly interest. Its detailed study will significantly expand and deepen our understanding of current trends in the contemporary American literary landscape.