“Like many children of immigrants I felt intense pressure to be two things, faithful to the old world and fluent in the new, approved on both sides of the hyphen” (Lahiri, My Two screw). Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri describes herself as Indian-American, while she feels she is neither Indian nor American. Lahiri feels alienated as he struggles to live two lives while maintaining two distinct cultures. Most of Lahiri's work is recognized in the United States rather than in India from which she descends (the guardian.com). Lahiri's characters, themes, and images in her short stories and novels describe the cultural differences of being American Indian and how Indians maintain their identity when relocated to a new world. Lahiri's inability to feel accepted in her home, the inability to be fully American, to be an Indian-American and the difference between families with the same culture which is reflected in one of her short stories "Once in a Lifetime" through characterization and images. Nilanjana Sudeshna Lahiri, of Indian descent, was born in London in August 1967, to Indian parents who were Bangladeshi immigrants. “Jhumpa” is the easiest nickname for teachers to remember his name. The Lahiri family moved from England to Rhode Island when Jhumpa was two years old. His father was a librarian at Rhode Island University and his mother was a school teacher. At the age of seven, Lahiri began to embrace writing what she saw and heard. Growing up, Lahiri lived two lives: an Indian at home and an American outside. Despite living much of their lives in the Western world, Lahiri's parents called "Calcutta" their home unlike Lahiri who considered Rhode Island to be her hometown. Lahiri always thought that her family had a different life... middle of paper... she is American by virtue but Indian due to her parents' upbringing. This is why she is called an embracing Indian-American author. Since Bengalis marry within their caste, Lahiri married a Latin American journalist Alberto Vourvoulias and has two children, Ottiviano and Noor. After getting married, Lahiri doesn't feel the need to be shy about speaking in Bengali or any other language. He currently resides in Rome with his family to hear how immigrants adapt to change and to experience what his characters and parents do in his stories. Through writing, Lahiri discovered that she belongs to both worlds and that generations of Indian-American immigrants will change and bring intense joy. “It was liberating and brought me some peace to simply confront that truth, whether not being able to resolve it or answer.”