New Fiction by Jhumpa Lahiri

Plus: how Thomas Lanier Williams became Tennessee; and the man who finds lost dogs. View in browser | Update your preferences Wednesday, July 5, 2023 In today’s newsletter, the host of Rome, and then: • How Thomas Lanier Williams became Tennessee • A family wedding in Kabul • The man who finds lost dogs Fiction “P’s Parties” “Who was that woman? Why had she been so open with me, so unguarded, instantly bridging the solitary distance between two strangers?” By Jhumpa Lahiri Read more: “It was one of the first short stories I attempted to write in Italian, at a time when I was still on a very steep learning curve in terms of understanding how to write in that language,” Lahiri says, in an interview with the magazine’s deputy fiction editor, Cressida Leyshon. More from the Fiction Issue Each day this week, we’re featuring short essays from our latest issue on the possibilities and perils of people coming together. A Family Wedding By Jamil Jan Kochai Illustration by Leonie Bos There were three floors in the wedding hall in Kabul. On the first, my uncles and I greeted guests and directed them to the staircases (for men) or the elevators (for women). On the second floor, the men sipped tea and cracked jokes and sat waiting for food. Although our guests supported various factions in the long war—the Afghan National Army, the Americans, even the Taliban—everyone seemed to be getting along. The real party was on the third floor, where my aunts and girl cousins organized dances and orchestrated the bride’s entrances. Nothing had been rehearsed, but my family seemed happy to improvise the wedding as it went along. I knew that, at some point, they were going to need me to walk down the aisle with the other groomsmen and the bridesmaids in my sweaty, ill-fitting suit. In the meantime, I kept busy, rushing up and down the stairs, transporting dresses or chairs or tables or platters of food, my right hand on my chest, singing “Salaam” to anyone I passed. It was 2012. I was nineteen years old. My aunt (father’s side) was marrying my uncle (mother’s side), and I had flown in from Sacramento for the big wedding. Technically, I was there on behalf of my aunt, to act as her shaheed, or witness, but I wasn’t exactly sure what that responsibility entailed, and I was too embarrassed to ask anyone. Keep reading Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » Trivia break: Which writer’s former residence, in Key West, is now a museum, whose grounds are home to dozens of polydactyl cats? Play our Literary Icons quiz pack. Screening Room The New Yorker Documentary A Canine Detective Story in “Shadow of a Dog” The film follows an intuitive pet tracker as he prowls New York City. Film by Sean Paulsen and Brad Wickham Text by Ella Murdock Gardner Tune in: On the New Yorker Radio Hour, Carrie Battan talks about Beyoncé’s world tour. Culture Dept. Books How Thomas Lanier Williams Became Tennessee A collection of previously unpublished stories offers a portrait of the playwright as a young artist. By Casey Cep Squirrelling Dept. The Menu Maven Whom Lincoln Collectors Hate Want to know what people ate at a Harvard-Yale game, at the Coney Island Hebrew Association, or at a Ku Klux Klan dinner dance? Henry Voigt has the answer. By Zach Helfand Fun & Games Dept. Blitt’s Kvetchbook Former President’s Mug Shot Unearthed And we’re lovin’ it. By Barry Blitt Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Andy Kravis Daily Shouts What Your Lipstick Says About You Your lipstick says that “kinda getting into jazz lately” is not a personality. Your lipstick says that it may taste bitter, but the truth often does. By Audrey Burges and Talia Argondezzi Crossword A Lightly Challenging Puzzle Trio of Greek goddesses whose determinations are inescapable: five letters. By Patrick Berry Daily Cartoon Wednesday, July 5th By Akeem Roberts P.S. Pet dogs everywhere are recovering from last night’s fireworks, ears perked for further booms or cracks. Teresa Burns Parkhurst imagines some scenes from a Fourth of July canine support group. Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.