Show-Me State Times

Saint Louis University is set to honor Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri with the St. Louis Literary Award in 2026. The university will begin its Literary Award programming during the week of October 27, 2025, starting with a public screening of the film “The Namesake,” followed by a panel discussion featuring director Mira Nair.

Lahiri, known for her novels such as “The Namesake,” “The Lowland,” and “In Altre Parole,” has also published acclaimed short story collections like “Interpreter of Maladies” and “Unaccustomed Earth.” Her debut collection, “Interpreter of Maladies,” won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 and addresses themes of love and identity among immigrants and cultural transplants. The novel “The Namesake” was adapted into a film directed by Mira Nair in 2006.

“Unaccustomed Earth” received the 2008 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and was a finalist for the Story Prize. Lahiri’s novel “The Lowland” earned the DSC award for South Asian fiction and was shortlisted for both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award in fiction.

Programming for this year’s St. Louis Literary Award includes several initiatives: a Campus Read series that is open to the public, an Undergraduate Writing Award, Literature & Medicine programming, an Inspired By Arts Showcase aimed at high school and college students, and the Walter J. Ong S.J. Award recognizing graduate student research excellence. The selected Campus Read book is Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies.”

Events commence on Monday, October 27, with a free public screening of "The Namesake" from 7-9 p.m. at Anheuser-Busch Auditorium in SLU's Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business (3674 Lindell Blvd). This event is co-sponsored by Student Development.

On Thursday, October 30 at noon, director Mira Nair will participate via Zoom in a panel discussion held at the same auditorium. Panelists include Edward Ibur (executive director of St. Louis Literary Award Programs), Joya Uraizee (SLU English professor), Ruth Bouman (senior majoring in English and History), Sharonda Stith (graduate student in Theological Studies), and Charles Turnell (junior political science major and treasurer of SLU Cinema Club).

Nair is recognized for films such as “Salaam Bombay!,” which won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or; “Mississippi Masala”; Golden Globe & Emmy-winning “Hysterical Blindness”; international hit “Monsoon Wedding”; as well as adaptations including “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” “Vanity Fair,” "A Suitable Boy," and "Queen of Katwe." She recently directed "Monsoon Wedding The Musical," which premiered in New York City in May 2023 and is expected to move to London’s West End in 2026.

Her upcoming projects include two feature films: "AMRI," focused on Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, and "BRO," addressing class conflict in India. A book about her cinema is scheduled for publication by Rizzoli in 2026.

In addition to her filmmaking career, Nair founded Salaam Baalak Trust for street children in India (1989) and Maisha Film Lab for African filmmakers (2004). In recognition of her contributions, she received India’s Padma Bhushan award in 2012.

Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London before moving to Rhode Island as a child with her Bengali parents. She graduated from Barnard College and holds a Ph.D. from Boston University. Over her career, she has received numerous honors including the National Humanities Medal (2014), PEN/Hemingway Award, O. Henry Prize, Addison Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Vallombrosa Von Rezzori Prize, Asian American Literary Award, PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Story writing, election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024), Guggenheim Fellowship (2002), NEA Fellowship (2006), and appointment as Commander of the Italian Republic by President Sergio Mattarella (2019).

Lahiri previously directed Princeton University’s Program in Creative Writing; she now serves as Millicent C. McIntosh Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Barnard College, Columbia University.

The St. Louis Literary Award is administered annually by Saint Louis University's College of Arts & Sciences. It recognizes writers who provide deep insight into human experience; past recipients have included Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Eudora Welty, John Updike, Saul Bellow, August Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Zadie Smith, and Tom Wolfe.