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SLU Campus Read

The Campus Read is an opportunity for Saint Louis University students, faculty and staff to read a specific work by the incoming St. Louis Literary Award recipient and take part in related activities connected to the book and author. SLU students, faculty or staff can pick up a free copy of the Campus Read book of the year at the front desk of any of the SLU libraries: Pius XII Memorial Library, the Medical Center Library, the Vincent C. Immel Law Library, and the library at SLU-Madrid. 

SLU will honor Jhumpa Lahiri in the spring of 2026. Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for "Interpreter of Maladies," her debut story collection that explores issues of love and identity among immigrants and cultural transplants. With a compelling, universal fluency, Lahiri portrays the practical and emotional adversities of her diverse characters in elegant and direct prose.

Her acclaimed novels and short story collections include "The Namesake," "Unaccustomed Earth," "The Lowland," and "Roman Stories." She is also a translator, essayist, and editor of The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories. Lahiri’s work has been recognized with the PEN/Hemingway Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Humanities Medal, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Born in London to Bengali parents and raised in Rhode Island, Lahiri is the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Barnard College, Columbia University. She divides her time between New York and Italy.

2025-2026 Campus Read

“Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri 

Jhumpa Lahiri tackles the intense themes of immigration and cultural identity in her heartfelt short story collection “Interpreter of Maladies.” Throughout the nine tales, Lahiri weaves a complex web of characters, tragedies and beautiful life stories.

Her award-winning short story collection showcases the emotions surrounding loss in many forms. Loss of a child, loss of a country and loss of oneself. Each story focuses on a different complex set of characters that attempt to balance moving through the motions of their grief and their cultural identities. Lahiri masterfully depicts normal people living their lives, forcing the reader to interpret their own maladies. 

Campus Read Book Discussions

Corinne Wohlford Mason, Ph.D., from SLU’s Department of Women and Gender Studies, is leading a book club focusing on 2026 St. Louis Literary Award winner Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories titled "Interpreter of Maladies." Each monthly discussion will highlight a specific story from the collection. These discussions are open to SLU students, faculty and staff and will be held 6:30 - 8 p.m., on Mondays. Specific dates and locations are labeled below. 

  • Dec. 1 – “Interpreter of Maladies” (Xavier 117)
  • Jan. 19 – “A Real Durwan” (McGannon 144)
  • Feb. 16 – “Sexy” (McGannon 144)
  • March 16 – “Mrs. Sen’s” (McGannon 144)
  • April 13 – “This Blessed House” (McGannon 144)
  • May 25 (Zoom) – “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar”
  • June 15 (Zoom) – “The Third and Final Continent”