In Other Words
- Downloads：9345
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-04 09:55:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jhumpa Lahiri
- ISBN：1408866137
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From the Pulitzer Prize winner， a surprising， powerful， and eloquent non-fiction debut。
In Other Words is at heart a love story—of a long and sometimes difficult courtship， and a passion that verges on obsession: that of a writer for another language。 For Jhumpa Lahiri， that love was for Italian， which first captivated and capsized her during a trip to Florence after college。 And although Lahiri studied Italian for many years afterwards， true mastery had always eluded her。 So in 2012， seeking full immersion， she decided to move to Rome with her family， for “a trial by fire， a sort of baptism” into a new language and world。
In Rome， Lahiri began to read， and to write—initially in her journal—solely in Italian。 In Other Words， an autobiographical work written in Italian， investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language， and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice。 Presented in a dual-language format， it is a book about exile， linguistic and otherwise， written with an intensity and clarity not seen since Nabokov。 A startling act of self-reflection and a provocative exploration of belonging and reinvention。
In Other Words is at heart a love story—of a long and sometimes difficult courtship， and a passion that verges on obsession: that of a writer for another language。 For Jhumpa Lahiri， that love was for Italian， which first captivated and capsized her during a trip to Florence after college。 And although Lahiri studied Italian for many years afterwards， true mastery had always eluded her。 So in 2012， seeking full immersion， she decided to move to Rome with her family， for “a trial by fire， a sort of baptism” into a new language and world。
In Rome， Lahiri began to read， and to write—initially in her journal—solely in Italian。 In Other Words， an autobiographical work written in Italian， investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language， and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice。 Presented in a dual-language format， it is a book about exile， linguistic and otherwise， written with an intensity and clarity not seen since Nabokov。 A startling act of self-reflection and a provocative exploration of belonging and reinvention。
Reviews
Lisa
，
Credo che il suo impulso costante di "scovare" la parola giusta sia fastidioso。 Comunque， è molto utile per i studenti di italiano。 Però， la ripetizione， l'ossessione， e le metafore egocentriche。。。 alla fine ne ho abbastanza。 È innamorata della lingua italiana （come un sacco di persone！）， MA DAI。 Credo che il suo impulso costante di "scovare" la parola giusta sia fastidioso。 Comunque， è molto utile per i studenti di italiano。 Però， la ripetizione， l'ossessione， e le metafore egocentriche。。。 alla fine ne ho abbastanza。 È innamorata della lingua italiana （come un sacco di persone！）， MA DAI。 。。。more
Sharon Holderbaum
，
Sorry i loved her other books， but did not get this one！！
Isabel
，
3/5 stars。This wasn't bad but it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped。 I mainly enjoyed trying to decipher the original Italian and then comparing it to the English translation than the actual words of her work， but halfway through I got bored with that and just read the English side。 I found it filled with a lot of elementary metaphors to describe her journey of learning the language， and it felt a bit repetitive after a few chapters。 3/5 stars。This wasn't bad but it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped。 I mainly enjoyed trying to decipher the original Italian and then comparing it to the English translation than the actual words of her work， but halfway through I got bored with that and just read the English side。 I found it filled with a lot of elementary metaphors to describe her journey of learning the language， and it felt a bit repetitive after a few chapters。 。。。more
Joyce Fazio
，
A journey of change which is also a journey of growth。
Jenb16
，
A beautifully written memoir about Jhumpa Lahiri’s love affair and passion for learning the Italian language and the evolution of her writing process。 I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her experiences living in Italy and the struggle of mastering a new language。 I also enjoyed her perspective on the transformative power of language and connection or disconnection from self。 Quotes:“One could say that the mechanism of metamorphosis is the only element of life that never changes。 The journey of A beautifully written memoir about Jhumpa Lahiri’s love affair and passion for learning the Italian language and the evolution of her writing process。 I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her experiences living in Italy and the struggle of mastering a new language。 I also enjoyed her perspective on the transformative power of language and connection or disconnection from self。 Quotes:“One could say that the mechanism of metamorphosis is the only element of life that never changes。 The journey of every individual， every country， every historical epoch， of the entire universe and all it contains， is nothing but a series of changes， at times subtle， at times deep， without which we would stand still。 The moments of transition， in which something changes， constitute the backbone of all of us。 Whether they are a salvation or a loss， they are moments that we tend to remember。 They give a structure to our existence。 Almost all the rest is oblivion。”“I think that the power of art is the power to wake us up， strike us to our depths， change us。 What are we searching for when we read a novel， see a film， listen to a piece of music？ We are searching， through a work of art， for something that alters us， that we weren’t aware of before。 We want to transform ourselves。。。”“Because words bring back everything: the place， the people， the life， the streets， the light， the sky， the flowers， the sounds。 When you live without your own language you feel weightless and， at the same time， overloaded。 You breathe another type of air， at a different altitude。 You are always aware of the difference。”“What does a word mean？ And a life？ In the end， it seems to me， the same thing。 Just as a word can have many dimensions， many nuances， great complexity， so， too， can a person， a life。 Language is the mirror， the principal metaphor。 Because ultimately the meaning of a word， like that of a person， is boundless， ineffable。” 。。。more
Satdeep Gill
，
I just loved the fact that Jhumpa took the courage to dive deep into the arms of Italian leaving her stepmother English behind while the already distant mother Bengali looked。 A lingophile author's journey to start anew is beautifully captured in this book。 It's been a while since a related so much with a work that I just couldn't stop my finishing it as soon as possible。 I just loved the fact that Jhumpa took the courage to dive deep into the arms of Italian leaving her stepmother English behind while the already distant mother Bengali looked。 A lingophile author's journey to start anew is beautifully captured in this book。 It's been a while since a related so much with a work that I just couldn't stop my finishing it as soon as possible。 。。。more
Renee Butler
，
The first half of the book was excellent。 It was a love poem to every person who ever dreamed of fluency in another language or who lived in an unfamiliar place that they loved dearly。 It was beautiful。 I found myself saving whole chapters。 Then， it died。。。I love the author， but this book dissolved from a love story to a self-pitying tragedy。 It began with her difficulties understanding when certain words are used and escalated into her feelings of not being accepted for her accent or appearance The first half of the book was excellent。 It was a love poem to every person who ever dreamed of fluency in another language or who lived in an unfamiliar place that they loved dearly。 It was beautiful。 I found myself saving whole chapters。 Then， it died。。。I love the author， but this book dissolved from a love story to a self-pitying tragedy。 It began with her difficulties understanding when certain words are used and escalated into her feelings of not being accepted for her accent or appearance。 It even stopped being beautiful， so I stopped reading 。。。more
Capedaisy
，
I felt some empathy with the writer’s drive to conquer the language and I admire her ambition to think and write in Italian and to find a different way of writing - but I found the book joyless， the chest-beating and angst overplayed and irritating。 I have not read any of Ms Lahiri’s other books， the reviews of which have been very positive， so I will not allow my experience of this book to deter me from exploring some of her other writing。
Gloriadey
，
Audiobook
Dipesh Mittal
，
"Those who don’t belong to any specific place can’t， in fact， return anywhere。 The concepts of exile and return imply a point of origin， a homeland。 Without a homeland and without a true mother tongue， I wander the world， even at my desk。 In the end I realize that it wasn’t a true exile: far from it。 I am exiled even from the definition of exile"I feel like I understand Jhumpa Lahiri's emotional turmoil。 I grew up in a multilingual surrounding。 There was Hindi and Marwari to communicate with my "Those who don’t belong to any specific place can’t， in fact， return anywhere。 The concepts of exile and return imply a point of origin， a homeland。 Without a homeland and without a true mother tongue， I wander the world， even at my desk。 In the end I realize that it wasn’t a true exile: far from it。 I am exiled even from the definition of exile"I feel like I understand Jhumpa Lahiri's emotional turmoil。 I grew up in a multilingual surrounding。 There was Hindi and Marwari to communicate with my parents， English in School， and Bhojpuri， Assamese， Bengali in the streets。 Consequence of this upbringing was that I never had a single language to claim my own。 When does a language becomes one's own？ When one is born in that language？ If that's true， my mother tongue would be Marwari， a language in which holding a long conversation exhausts me。 Then there is Hindi， a language in which I wrote my first short story。 Interestingly， when people in Delhi come to know that I'm from Northeast， they look at me and say， "oh， yes， that's why your Hindi is different"。 I hesitantly ask them， "how is it different？"。 And almost always， they reply， "It is just different"。 These struggles， not unlike Jhumpa's， makes both of us stand in the same line， along the margins。 She is luckier than me， she doesn't have to face a legal regime that makes one stand in a box and compels them to prove their citizenship。 I do。 This is a touchy subject。 Maybe I'll come back to this and update my thoughts later。 。。。more
Sara Poikonen
，
Jhumpa Lahiri on aivan hullun rohkea mimmi。 Jätti oman identiteettinsä， uransa， kielensä， kirjoittajan äänensä ja muutti koko elämänsä Italiaan （ja italiankieliseksi）。 Selittämättömästä rakkaudesta maahan， kieleen ja kulttuuriin， itsepintaisuudesta， tahdonvoimasta sukeltaa pää edellä ja täysin johonkin， jossa tietää jo nyt tulevansa aina olemaan keskeneräinen。 Tää kirja herätti mussa voimaa， sisaruutta， seikkailunhalua， uteliaisuutta käydä läpi muodonmuutos uuden kielen kautta ja erityisesti sis Jhumpa Lahiri on aivan hullun rohkea mimmi。 Jätti oman identiteettinsä， uransa， kielensä， kirjoittajan äänensä ja muutti koko elämänsä Italiaan （ja italiankieliseksi）。 Selittämättömästä rakkaudesta maahan， kieleen ja kulttuuriin， itsepintaisuudesta， tahdonvoimasta sukeltaa pää edellä ja täysin johonkin， jossa tietää jo nyt tulevansa aina olemaan keskeneräinen。 Tää kirja herätti mussa voimaa， sisaruutta， seikkailunhalua， uteliaisuutta käydä läpi muodonmuutos uuden kielen kautta ja erityisesti sisua hyväksyä epätäydellisyys， joka sen oppimisessa on läsnä koko ajan。 Erityisen tärkeetä ja aiheeseen liittyvää on myös se， että tää oli ensimmäinen kirja jonka luin kokonaan italiaksi。Must-read vieraan kielen oppijalle， identiteettikriiseilijälle tai monikielisyydestä kiinnostuneelle。”Quando la lingua con cui ci si identifica è lontana， si fa di tutto per tenerla viva。 Perché le parole riportano tutto: il luogo， la gente， la vita， le strade， la luce， il cielo， i fiori， i rumori。 - - In America， dopo aver vissuto solo un anno in Italia， mi sento un po’ così。 Eppure qualcosa non mi quadra。 Non sono italiana， non sono neanche bilingue。 L’italiano rimane per me una lingua imparata da adulta， coltivata， covata。”（”Kun se kieli， johon identifioidut， on kaukana sinusta， teet kaikkesi pitääksesi sen elossa。 Siksi， että sanat tuovat kaiken takaisin: paikan， ihmiset， elämän， kadut， valot， taivaan， kukat， äänet。 - - Asuttuani vain vuoden Italiassa， minusta tuntuu Amerikassa hieman tältä。 Kuitenkaan jokin ei täsmää。 En ole italialainen， en edes kaksikielinen。 Italia tulee aina olemaan minulle aikuisena opittu， kasvatettu， haudottu kieli。”） 。。。more
3rian 7acob
，
Really enjoyed this as a very different type of memoir。Jhumpa Lahiri wrote a book that had a profound impact on me， as it was the first time I’d felt my life experience was properly “seen。” Here， the author opens up about navigating her own fragmented identity and searching to find herself in， of all places， the Italian language。I found this to be a really interesting and intimate read。 Even though I don’t share her passion for Italian （and wow， she is definitely passionate about it）， I apprecia Really enjoyed this as a very different type of memoir。Jhumpa Lahiri wrote a book that had a profound impact on me， as it was the first time I’d felt my life experience was properly “seen。” Here， the author opens up about navigating her own fragmented identity and searching to find herself in， of all places， the Italian language。I found this to be a really interesting and intimate read。 Even though I don’t share her passion for Italian （and wow， she is definitely passionate about it）， I appreciated getting such a raw and insightful look into a writer’s approach to her craft and her reasons for radically changing her trajectory in such a manner。It’s fascinating to see how her wanting to master Italian isn’t rooted in any practical reasons。 She’s just completely captivated by it:I don’t have a real need to know this language…I have only the desire。 Yet ultimately a desire is nothing but a crazy need。 As in many passionate relationships， my infatuation will become a devotion， an obsession。 There will always be something unbalanced， unrequited。 I’m in love， but what I love remains indifferent。 The language will never need me。（I told you she could get pretty intense。）But it didn’t take me long to understand why。 She herself has a very complex relationship with language， never fully mastering the Bengali her parents spoke to her as a child （she can’t read or write in that language） and how her speaking and writing in English as her primary language still left her feeling “suspended， rather than rooted” between identities。 She’d reached the point where she wanted to tear everything down for herself （linguistically speaking） in pursuit of the ability to express herself even more honestly。 It ignites her drive:When I discover a different way to express something， I feel a kind of ecstasy。 Unknown words present a dizzying yet fertile abyss。 An abyss containing everything that escapes me， everything possible。The format makes this collection of essays even more of a pleasure to read。 It's a short book that took me a while to finish， as I had the bilingual edition with her original Italian text on one side and the English text （translated by someone else！） on the other side。 I don’t speak a word of Italian but found myself often attempting to read it， wanting to appreciate her process as best as I could。 In addition to her essays， the book includes two stories， which are her early efforts at writing new fiction in Italian。I’d seen some other reviews suggesting that it’s joyless and serious。 I can’t help but wonder if they’re missing the point。 Her reasons for taking this on are incredibly personal。 She’s not coming at this as some cutesy hobby so you won’t find wacky anecdotes about misunderstandings when trying to order dinner in Rome。 This is a journal about an inspiring commitment to excellence and reinvention。 I say inspiring， because I found myself motivated to reconsider one of my own interests （in this case， playing a musical instrument） and what I could gain from a more focused approach， embracing and challenging my own shortcomings:Why， as an adult， as a writer， am I interested in this new relationship with imperfection？ What does it offer me？ I would say a stunning clarity， a more profound self-awareness。 Imperfection inspires invention， imagination， creativity。 It stimulates。 The more I feel imperfect， the more I feel alive。 。。。more
BeaP
，
DNF。 A Pulitzer-winning author has published her homework essays from the B1 Italian course。
Beth
，
So Brave！ Refreshing to see someone who has mastered her craft throw such a big monkey wrench into what she does （replacing English with Italian in all she reads & writes）
Dyah Puspitarani
，
To describe this book on three words: sincere， raw， and honest。 Jhumpa Lahiri makes learning new languages poetic。 Oh， to learn Italian in Rome。。。
Jules1921
，
A graceful， beautiful meditation on the act of writing in a new language and a different country that is dearly loved。
Maju
，
Hasta la mitad es apasionante， después se vuelve como una queja extraña， al mismo tiempo comprensible。 Se empatiza con la autora， pero su insistencia con la ajenidad se torna reiterativa。 No deja de ser interesante， sobre todo para quienes han crecido criadxs en dos lenguas o bien para quienes sienten pasión por lenguas "que no son la propia"。 Hasta la mitad es apasionante， después se vuelve como una queja extraña， al mismo tiempo comprensible。 Se empatiza con la autora， pero su insistencia con la ajenidad se torna reiterativa。 No deja de ser interesante， sobre todo para quienes han crecido criadxs en dos lenguas o bien para quienes sienten pasión por lenguas "que no son la propia"。 。。。more
Chris
，
Very interesting discussion--maybe more of a dialectical wrangling， on the ways in which language， culture， beauty， and expression fit together inside of the author。 I enjoyed large swaths of her considerations， found them relatable and worthwhile。 With that said it feels like an unfinished journey。 I'll be interested to read her further wranglings in a future edition or subsequent book。 Very interesting discussion--maybe more of a dialectical wrangling， on the ways in which language， culture， beauty， and expression fit together inside of the author。 I enjoyed large swaths of her considerations， found them relatable and worthwhile。 With that said it feels like an unfinished journey。 I'll be interested to read her further wranglings in a future edition or subsequent book。 。。。more
MissCoria
，
That’s a really special and unique story for me。 As for someone who also struggles with learning a foreign language I understand lots of thoughts and feelings of Jhumpa Lahiri。 I’m grateful she shared her story， such a consolation and inspiration。
Polly
，
Lahiri gives us an inside view of her feelings of displacement and isolation， of not belonging to anyone particular nationality or people。 She describes how she is subject to racism both here in the U。S。 and abroad， how people assume her husband， who looks Italian， speaks better Italian than she does when he barely speaks the language in monosyllables and she has written an entire book。 I loved learning and hearing Lahiri's internal dialogue about what it is like to be her， to be a writer of gre Lahiri gives us an inside view of her feelings of displacement and isolation， of not belonging to anyone particular nationality or people。 She describes how she is subject to racism both here in the U。S。 and abroad， how people assume her husband， who looks Italian， speaks better Italian than she does when he barely speaks the language in monosyllables and she has written an entire book。 I loved learning and hearing Lahiri's internal dialogue about what it is like to be her， to be a writer of great success， and yet she still second-guesses herself。 I'm so glad she wrote this book in Italian。 。。。more
tenten
，
I somehow expected more from this after listening to an interview with the author。。。。but this was unfortunately an extremely boring and superficial book （unless of course we believe that learning an easy language like Italian in 20 YEARS and moving to another country for a few months are heroic acts）。The original Italian is simplistic， repetitive and lacks style。 Which would've been ok if there was a single interesting idea or analysis in the whole book but there wasn't any。The only thing that m I somehow expected more from this after listening to an interview with the author。。。。but this was unfortunately an extremely boring and superficial book （unless of course we believe that learning an easy language like Italian in 20 YEARS and moving to another country for a few months are heroic acts）。The original Italian is simplistic， repetitive and lacks style。 Which would've been ok if there was a single interesting idea or analysis in the whole book but there wasn't any。The only thing that made me think a little is the realization that some people， even dedicated bilingual writers， seem to struggle immensely when learning new languages。 I think it has little to do with intelligence but I wonder if such a wiring of the brain could be correlated with emotions and empathy。 。。。more
Charlie Evans
，
Hot take: my favorite Lahiri book。 I want to be best friends with her， and this is her only real autobiographical book。 So， it feels really open and intimate， and I feel like she was talking to me the whole time in the artful， wise， incisive way I imagine she speaks。 This book also makes me want to learn a new language， maybe French？ See my comments on Whereabouts about how I feel about her being able to write in two languages。 Goat emoji。
Zachary Littrell
，
Lahiri seems to be a great writer and really loves Italian， but I really didn't get that impression here。 I wish I started with a different book by her。I'm afraid to say that Eat， Pray， Love did a better job of conveying why someone loves Italian and Italy than this。 If anything。。。the book feels a bit like a bummer。 Like loving Italian is a doomed romance she has no control over。 If someone described their significant other to me the way Lahiri describes being with Italian here， I'd feel pretty Lahiri seems to be a great writer and really loves Italian， but I really didn't get that impression here。 I wish I started with a different book by her。I'm afraid to say that Eat， Pray， Love did a better job of conveying why someone loves Italian and Italy than this。 If anything。。。the book feels a bit like a bummer。 Like loving Italian is a doomed romance she has no control over。 If someone described their significant other to me the way Lahiri describes being with Italian here， I'd feel pretty unconvinced how great this relationship is。 The author instead concentrates more on the feeling of being a foreigner in her three languages， English， Bengali， and Italian。 Which is very interesting！ But even that is a little surface level and stops at "It's rough！" without any other conclusion。 At the end of the day， it's hard to shake the feeling that this whole thing is much better suited as a long essay or NPR segment。 =====It's not Lahiri's fault， but whoever had the idea to split the audiobook into first the entire book in English and then the entire Italian version is an absolute lunatic！At least in the physical format you can see both at the same time。 Why not read a paragraph or section in English， and then the same in Italian， so the listener can immediately hear the two？ Instead， either you have great Italian and are stuck listening to the whole book again。 Or you are rusty in Italian （like me） or have no Italian at all， and are just absolutely lost on what the heck is going on。 The only plus is Lahiri's Italian （to an American's ears） is gorgeous。 。。。more
Aggrey Odera
，
Lost in translation for me， which has some irony because the book is largely about the contours and limits of language。 At some points， I felt that Lahiri was being too self indulgent。 Big fucking deal you learned a language and are now trying to be taken seriously in it。 Lots of people do that everyday。 Also， this ‘third culture kid’ trope is overplayed。 At other times， I was blown away by her characteristic incisiveness （especially in the excerpts “The Wall” and “The Triangle”。） The ultimate e Lost in translation for me， which has some irony because the book is largely about the contours and limits of language。 At some points， I felt that Lahiri was being too self indulgent。 Big fucking deal you learned a language and are now trying to be taken seriously in it。 Lots of people do that everyday。 Also， this ‘third culture kid’ trope is overplayed。 At other times， I was blown away by her characteristic incisiveness （especially in the excerpts “The Wall” and “The Triangle”。） The ultimate effect， however， left me quite underwhelmed。 This might， on the one hand， be the best illustration of Lahiri’s point about the difficulty， joy and nuance of thinking and writing in a language one learns as an adult。 But it is also what， as a devoted lover of her work， annoys me most， because it doesn’t give me much to work with。 I'm not so much interested in witnessing Lahiri in her fumbling mediocrity as a writer working in Italian - whatever other lessons that may hold- as I am in enjoying her brilliance as a writer working in English。 。。。more
Peter Allum
，
In Altre Parole， pubblicato nel 2015， è il quinto libro di Jhumpa Lahiri。 Nel 1999， la sua prima raccolta di racconti， "Interpreter of Maladies"， ottenne un gran successo di critica e le fece vincere il Premio Pulitzer per la narrativa e l'Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award。 Successivamente ha pubblicato una seconda raccolta di racconti （2008） e due romanzi （2003 e 2013）。Lahiri è nata a Londra， figlia di immigrati bengalesi， si trasferì con la famiglia negli Stati Uniti quando aveva tre anni。 Ha des In Altre Parole， pubblicato nel 2015， è il quinto libro di Jhumpa Lahiri。 Nel 1999， la sua prima raccolta di racconti， "Interpreter of Maladies"， ottenne un gran successo di critica e le fece vincere il Premio Pulitzer per la narrativa e l'Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award。 Successivamente ha pubblicato una seconda raccolta di racconti （2008） e due romanzi （2003 e 2013）。Lahiri è nata a Londra， figlia di immigrati bengalesi， si trasferì con la famiglia negli Stati Uniti quando aveva tre anni。 Ha descritto la sua crescita e la sua educazione come un percorso segnato da una "intensa pressione per incarnare due cose al tempo stesso， essere leale al vecchio mondo e a suo agio nel nuovo。" La tensione insita nella sua esperienza indiano-americana è diventata il nodo centrale。 Nelle sue parole， la sua scrittura proveniva da un "desiderio di costringere i due mondi che occupavo， a socializzare sulla pagina perché non ero abbastanza coraggiosa， o abbastanza matura， da permettermelo nella vita。"In Altre Parole， Lahiri continua ad esplorare i suoi sentimenti per ciò da cui proviene e la sua identità， ma passa dalla narrativa creativa ad una serie di saggi sulla sua relazione con la lingua italiana。 Scrive del piacere nel tradurre il latino come studentessa di classici; della sua passione per l'italiano durante una visita giovanile a Firenze; dei suoi sforzi per studiare l'italiano per molti anni negli Usa; e della sua decisione di ottenere la vera padronanza della lingua con un trasferimento in Italia。 Un passo compiuto con la sua famiglia nel 2012。Questo non è， tuttavia， un altro libro che esalta "La bella vita。" Lahiri non scrive quasi nulla del soggiorno di due anni della sua famiglia a Roma: niente sui piaceri quotidiana della vita in Italia， sulle sfide della sua rinomata burocrazia， o sulle nuove amicizie。 L'attenzione di Lahiri， invece， è sulla sua storia d'amore con il linguaggio。 Abbraccia l'italiano perché offre una fuga dalle due lingue che finora hanno definito la sua identità sempre in conflitto - la lingua madre bengalese e l'inglese della sua istruzione e della sua carriera di critica。 L'italiano diventa un rifugio linguistico， un luogo dove è psicologicamente libera， libera di essere creativa。 Infatti， il sollievo che trova con l’immergersi nell’ italiano è così forte che sceglie di non leggere più in inglese e quando inizia a tenere un diario e scrivere fiction dopo il suo trasferimento a Roma， lo fa in italiano。 Infatti， Lahiri ha scritto In Altre Parole in italiano， mentre la traduzione inglese è stata fatta da Ann Goldstein。Lahiri scrive della sua passione per l'italiano con onestà， intelligenza e sensibilità。 La passione travolgente non può essere spiegata con una semplice analisi intellettuale， ma Lahiri offre approfondimenti convincenti sulla serenità che trae a livello psicologico dal vivere e lavorare in italiano。 Anche se la sua decisione a metà carriera di abbandonare l'inglese per l'italiano avrebbe potuto sembrare controproducente， lei ha accolto con favore il lavoro con uno strumento nuovo – l’italiano – uno strumento di cui non avrà mai davvero padronanza。 Una lingua di cui non conoscerà mai ogni parola， le sfumature linguistiche e l'uso istintivo della grammatica di un italiano di nascita。Questo è un libro sull'amore per il linguaggio， il mestiere della scrittura， la natura misteriosa dell'ispirazione artistica， le tensioni insite nelle identità culturali miste e la ricerca della passione anche a costo di un pieno remaking della propria vita。 Nonostante questi numerosi punti di forza， i saggi possono deludere coloro che cercano le opinioni di Lahiri sul suo mondo romano e su Roma。 A volte， l'attenzione di Lahiri sulle questioni dell'identità e ricerca di un “io” rasenta il solipsismo。 In un capitolo descrive come i negozianti di Roma le chiedano regolarmente: "May I help you？" （Posso aiutarti？） in inglese， non italiano: quattro parole educate che， dice， le spezzano il cuore。 Qui sembra inspiegabilmente frustrata dal fatto che la sua metamorfosi interna nella padronanza dell'italiano non sia diventata esternamente evidente: che il mondo non cambi， che lei sia ancora vista come una shopper bengalese più propensa a parlare inglese che italiano。 Per alcuni， la sensibilità di Lahiri alle ipotesi di questi negozianti sembrerebbe essere un "problema di persone ricchi"， più una questione di nevrotismo che di sensibilità artistica。 Ma non abbiamo bisogno di apprezzare ogni elemento della personalità di un artista per goderci il loro lavoro。 Non vedo l'ora di leggere alcuni degli scrittura fittizia di Lahiri。 。。。more
Lori Williams
，
So disappointing All the author had to say was how much she loves the Italian language and that she really wants to express herself by writing in Italian instead of English （her strongest language） and Bengali （her first language）。 This is pretty much what was repeated time and again throughout the entire book。 I am sorry I purchased it。
Kevin Miller
，
As someone who has studied foreign languages for most of their adult life and was looking for something inspiring or relatable， I absolutely did not find what I was looking for。 This book can be read in about two hours， and it is a fine enough description of Lahiri's internal writing process， but it does not provide a very interesting or useful description of the language learning process。 First， the book has almost nothing to do with Italian as a spoken language or the actual process of learnin As someone who has studied foreign languages for most of their adult life and was looking for something inspiring or relatable， I absolutely did not find what I was looking for。 This book can be read in about two hours， and it is a fine enough description of Lahiri's internal writing process， but it does not provide a very interesting or useful description of the language learning process。 First， the book has almost nothing to do with Italian as a spoken language or the actual process of learning a language。 It is almost entirely a deep internal reflection on Lahiri's abstract relationship with language and writing。 There are no embarrassing moments ordering the wrong thing at a restaurant or difficult situations trying to explain an illness to a doctor in Italian， as one might expect。There is， briefly， a scene where Lahiri talks about talking to shop clerks where she expresses disdain that they assume her Southern-European husband is Italian while she， a South Asian woman， is not despite her superior language skills。 Lahiri is not only upset at the obvious discrimination， but also at the implication that she is not or cannot become Italian。 The inclusion is a little odd as Lahiri makes very clear that Italian is something of a passion or hobby， she is not seeking to become Italian， either through immigration or integration。 This is the most interesting contradiction in the book and one that would have been a far more interesting central focus than Lahiri finding a hundred ways to say that she likes writing in Italian even though she is not that good at it。 Lahiri is neither， like her parents， an immigrant forced to learn a language to survive in their adopted country， yet she is living in a country with immigration that she could feasibly become a citizen of， unlike most Western emigres who live in places like Thailand or Mexico。 This sociopolitical aspect of her language learning process would have made a way better book than one about a person spending a lot of time sitting at a desk leafing through a dictionary。 。。。more
Kimberly Patton
，
This was a short audio book that helped me understand a little bit better the Italian language and culture。 The author talked a lot about discomfort in learning a new language and I could relate。 She was a quiet， intelligent and super heady and analogy and metaphor driven。 I enjoyed her book and the little bits of Italian。。。 It was an enjoyable experience。
Mehmet Kalaycı
，
Ho molto in comune con Jhumpa Lahiri anche se non ho vinto nessun premio prestigioso :） La cosa più importante che abbiamo in comune è che siamo due stranieri innamorati della lingua italiana。Racconta in questo libro la sua esperienza con l'italiano。 Non è facile imparare una lingua quando si hanno più di 25 anni， perché si è sempre estranei alla lingua。 Ci sono alcune cose che non possiamo superare， come l'accento per esempio。 Ho molto in comune con Jhumpa Lahiri anche se non ho vinto nessun premio prestigioso :） La cosa più importante che abbiamo in comune è che siamo due stranieri innamorati della lingua italiana。Racconta in questo libro la sua esperienza con l'italiano。 Non è facile imparare una lingua quando si hanno più di 25 anni， perché si è sempre estranei alla lingua。 Ci sono alcune cose che non possiamo superare， come l'accento per esempio。 。。。more
Onur
，
“In Other Words”， Jhumpa Lahiri’nin İtalyanca yazdığı ilk eseri。 Daha önce “Dert Yorumcusu” kitabını okumuş ve öykülerine aşık olmuştum。 Bu eseri ise İtalyanca öğrenme hevesini， hayal kırıklıklarını， İtalya’da yaşamanın handikaplarını， iki farklı kültüre ait olup üçüncü bir kültürle daha haşır neşir olma macerasını anlattığı kısa kısa denemelerden oluşuyor。 Lahiri， anne-baba tarafından Bengali-Hint kökenli， İngiltere’de doğmuş ama hayatının büyük bir bölümünü Amerika’da geçirmiş。 Bir gün İtalya’ “In Other Words”， Jhumpa Lahiri’nin İtalyanca yazdığı ilk eseri。 Daha önce “Dert Yorumcusu” kitabını okumuş ve öykülerine aşık olmuştum。 Bu eseri ise İtalyanca öğrenme hevesini， hayal kırıklıklarını， İtalya’da yaşamanın handikaplarını， iki farklı kültüre ait olup üçüncü bir kültürle daha haşır neşir olma macerasını anlattığı kısa kısa denemelerden oluşuyor。 Lahiri， anne-baba tarafından Bengali-Hint kökenli， İngiltere’de doğmuş ama hayatının büyük bir bölümünü Amerika’da geçirmiş。 Bir gün İtalya’yı ziyaret ediyor， ve ardından İtalyanca öğrenmeye çalışıyor。 Daha sonra ailecek Roma’ya taşınıyorlar。 Anlattıkları arasında dikkatimi en çok çeken şeylerden biri: Lahiri， İtalyanca’yı su gibi akıcı konuşacak kadar iyi öğrenmiş， bir gün eşi ve çocuğuyla bir mağazaya giriyor ve kasadaki kadınla bir konuşma geçiyor arasında。 Kasiyer kadın， Lahiri’nin kocasını， onun kadar iyi İtalyanca konuşmamasına rağmen İtalyan zannediyor ama Lahiri’ye nerelisiniz sorusunu soruyor çünkü koyu ten rengine sahip。 Lahiri， bedenim benim için her zaman bir engel ve engel olmaya devam edecek diyor。 Sanırım dünyanın her yerinde dış görünüşe dair izlenimler yargıları en çok etkileyen şeyler。 Bir edebiyatçının yeni bir dil öğrenme macerasını okumak farklı bir deneyimdi。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=In Other Words
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=In Other Words&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,In Other Words&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0