What happened on April 11: When Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer and Frank Sinatra gave us another gem

Have you ever read the book Interpreter of Maladies written by author Jhumpa Lahiri? On this day, April 11, Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for the same book in the year 2000. It is considered to be her debut short story collection. 

Jhumpa Lahiri is a London-born American short story writer who mostly writes about the experience of immigrants. And, seriously, how moving are her words?

Since her childhood, Jhumpa contributed many works but did not embrace the writer’s life. Later, during her graduation, she published many of her short stories in various magazines such as The New Yorker, Harvard Review, Story Quarterly and more. Some of these stories are featured in her debut collection, Interpreter of Maladies.

Do you know why Jhumpa chose the title Interpreter of Maladies? It is because of one of her friends who worked as an interpreter in a doctor’s office in Brookline, Massachusetts. The message of the book is that people fail to see the truth about another person, thereby, leading to the danger of romanticism. Been there, done that, isn't it? 

In love with a stranger
Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wondering in the night, what were the chances?

Can you guess the song? Well, it’s the popular song Strangers in the Night sung by American singer Frank Sinatra in 1966. On April 11, 1966, the song was recorded at the studio United Recording in Hollywood. The song was taken from the commercial album Strangers in the Night. And guess what? The song secured the first position in the Billboard Hot 100, Easy listening Chart and UK Singles chart. 

The song was written for the film A Man Could Get Killed. But Sinatra didn’t appreciate the song as he hated it. But do you know why he sang the song even though he hates it? Because it paid the bills! And of course, the fact that the song placed him right at the top. 

In 1967, Frank Sinatra was awarded the Grammy Award for the song. Woho!