According to Writer’s Almanac, Jhumpa Lahiri had no idea that her first novel, The Interpreter of Maladies, was a contender for any prizes, and then one day she got a phone call. She said:
“I was in my apartment. We had just come back from a short trip to Boston and I was heating up some soup for my lunch. My suitcases were still not unpacked. And the phone rang. It was one or two in the afternoon. The person who called me was from Houghton Mifflin, my publisher, but no one I knew, and she said, ‘I need to know what year you were born.’ And then she asked some other fact like where I was born. I just told her. Sometimes people need some information for a reading, for a flyer or something. And then she said, ‘You don’t know why I am calling, do you?’ And I said, ‘No, why are you calling?’ And she said, ‘You just won the Pulitzer.'”
It was the first time a paperback had ever won the Pulitzer. The Interpreter of Maladies became an immediate best-seller. Jhumpa Lahiri was uncomfortable with her new fame, she said,
“If I stop to think about fans, or best-selling, or not best-selling, or good reviews, or not-good reviews, it just becomes too much. It’s like staring at the mirror all day.”
So she doesn’t read reviews and she keeps her Pulitzer wrapped in bubble wrap. I think there may be wisdom in that. What would you do if you won a big award? Would you keep your Pulitzer in bubble wrap? Or would your Academy Award stay in the guest bathroom like Susan Sarandon’s does? Needless to say, I value your comments and I’d love to hear from you.
P.S. I am an ex-shrink who writes novels. Check out my books here.
Wow! What a cool story. I will definitely check out her book which I sheepishly admit I had not heard of before. She certainly has humility. I don’t think I would be able to keep such a prize in bubblewrap. But eventually it would probably come down from the mantelplace!
Thanks for commenting, Anne. Always great to hear from you. I agree with what you said about humility. Though I also like what one of my email subscribers has to say. I understand her sentiment. Any awards I may receive at this point would be so long in coming I would feel the need to celebrate, too. Here’s Mary’s comment:
“If I won an award for something I created I would shout the news from my window so all could share in the fabulous news. I don’t think this would be a self indulgent moment, but rather a celebration I never thought happen, ever, ever. I get goose bumps just thinking of the joy I would feel. And who among us does not feel that glorious moments must be shared. Loved this question! Mary”
I understand the wisdom of not reading reviews, but if I won an award–particularly something as prestigious as a Pulitzer Prize–I would definitely take it out of the bubble wrap. I don’t think I would display it prominently (although I’m sure I would mention it on my website). I’d probably keep the actual award in my bedroom or study.
I would definitely celebrate a moment such as this and I would proudly brag about it too!
I think I would definately like to meet this person who just keeps their pulitzer in bubble wrap…very unusual, worth a coffee date I think. I don’t think if I got an award as prestigious as the pulitzer I could just put it in bubble wrap, I’d have it in the dining room, not the bathroom, who puts things they cherish most in the bathroom???…yeesh. I do agree with the sentiment of not following reviews, whatever you’re piece of art might be. Listen to your true fans, the ones you know in your heart would read your book if you had to give it out for free because no one would publish it or all the reviews said it sucked. they’re the ones that really care not only about your art but you. Ultimately I believe the best art comes if you can recreate yourself in your work. But anyway…no bubblewrap, not in the bathroom, the dining room where people can see it during a good meal where we’re all sitting down breaking bread together. Those are the people I want to share it with anyway.
Great comment, Jen! I really like your thought of having your pulitzer in the dining room where you break bread with friends. Lovely idea.