Jhumpa Lahiri Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-06)

Jhumpa Lahiri (Nilanjana Sudeshna “Jhumpa” Lahiri) writes across short fiction, novels, and literary nonfiction, and she also publishes translations and edited volumes tied to her work in Italian. Her books do not form a single continuing storyline, so “in order” here is about reading flow and how her work changes over time, not about keeping track of a shared cast.

If you want one clear approach: read her fiction first, in publication order, then add the nonfiction and Italian-language work whenever the subject interests you.

---

A reader’s map (pick one)

If you want the core Lahiri experience:
Start with the story collections, then read the novels.

If you prefer novels over short stories:
Begin with The Namesake, then loop back to Interpreter of Maladies.

If you’re here for language, translation, and craft:
Start with In Other Words, then Translating Myself and Others.

---

Fiction in publication order

Story collections

1. Interpreter of Maladies (1999): Quietly devastating stories about intimacy, distance, and what people can’t say aloud even to those they love.
2. Unaccustomed Earth (2008): A set of linked and standalone stories where family ties stretch under migration, ambition, and private longing.
3. Roman Stories (2023): Rome-centered stories of dislocation and desire, attentive to class, solitude, and the friction of everyday lives.

Novels

4. The Namesake (2003): A son grows into his name and his identity while his immigrant family’s choices shape what “home” can mean.
5. The Lowland (2013): Two brothers are split by politics and consequence, and the aftershock remakes a family across decades.
6. Whereabouts (2021): A solitary narrator moves through a city in short scenes, building a portrait of inner life through ordinary moments.

Continuity note: These are standalone in plot. Reading in release order simply preserves the way her themes and techniques deepen over time.

---

Nonfiction and literary essays in publication order

7. In Other Words (2016, originally written in Italian): A memoir of falling in love with a new language and letting it remake the writer’s sense of self.
8. The Clothing of Books (2016): A compact meditation on book covers and the strange negotiations between text, image, and expectation.
9. Translating Myself and Others (2022): Essays on translation as a craft and a way of living, where language becomes both tool and terrain.

---

Italian-first work and language notes

• Whereabouts was first published in Italian as Dove mi trovo (2018), then later published in English (2021).
• Roman Stories was first published in Italian as Racconti romani (2022), then later published in English (2023).

If you like reading in Italian, those original editions belong in the same place in the order as the English editions listed above.

---

Optional: Translation and editing (separate lane)

These are not part of her fiction/nonfiction “reading path,” but many readers like grouping them together.

• The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories (2019, editor/translator): A curated doorway into modern Italian short fiction, shaped by her tastes as a reader and translator.
• Domenico Starnone translations (various years): A set of novels translated into English, valuable if you want to follow the Italian thread in her life and work.

---

Recommended order for most readers

1. Interpreter of Maladies
2. The Namesake
3. Unaccustomed Earth
4. The Lowland
5. Whereabouts
6. Roman Stories
7. In Other Words
8. The Clothing of Books
9. Translating Myself and Others

This keeps the fiction momentum intact, then moves into the language-and-craft books after you’ve seen what her storytelling does on the page.

---

FAQs

Do I need to read anything before The Namesake?
No. It stands on its own, and it’s a perfectly safe first book if you prefer novels.

Is there a “chronological order” different from publication order?
Not in a meaningful way. The books aren’t a single timeline, so publication order is the most useful “in order” structure.

What’s the latest book right now?
For fiction, the most recent major release is Roman Stories (English edition, 2023).

---

Best simple plan

If you want one dependable starting point: begin with Interpreter of Maladies, then move through her fiction in the order listed. Add the nonfiction when you’re curious about how language and translation shape her work.