10 Indian-origin authors within the US and the colleges that formed them
Within the shifting sands of American literature, Indian-origin authors will not be merely contributors—they’re cartographers, redrawing the boundaries of belonging, reminiscence, and language. Their lives are stitched along with transcontinental education, household aspirations, and a relentless urge to inform tales that straddle two worlds. Right here’s a deep dive into 10 such authors at present dwelling and dealing within the US—and the lecture rooms that helped form their artistic journeys.
Salman Rushdie: From Bombay desires to New York realities
Lives in Manhattan, New YorkEarlier than the fatwa and the celebrity, there was Bombay. Born to Anis Ahmed Rushdie, a businessman with a reverence for historical past, and Negin Bhatt, a trainer, Salman Rushdie grew up steeped in concepts. Schooled at Cathedral and John Connon in Mumbai and later Rugby Faculty in England, he learn historical past at King’s School, Cambridge—setting the stage for fiction that will mix epic creativeness with postcolonial mind.Topics Studied:Establishments Attended:
- Cathedral and John Connon Faculty
- Rugby Faculty
- King’s School, Cambridge
Chosen Works:
- Midnight’s Youngsters
- The Satanic Verses
- Haroun and the Sea of Tales
- Victory Metropolis
- Joseph Anton
Abraham Verghese: Ethiopian childhood, southern roots, Stanford laurels
Lives in Palo Alto, CaliforniaBorn in Addis Ababa to Malayali dad and mom, Abraham Verghese is the son of Joseph Verghese, a revered college principal, and Mariam George Verghese, a trainer. His early training was infused with self-discipline and compassion—traits that will form each physician and novelist. After graduating from Madras Medical School, he moved to the US for residencies in Tennessee and Boston. Later, he added an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, making him a uncommon breed: A physician-author whose prose carries the precision of a scalpel and the soul of a psalm.Now a professor at Stanford, Verghese brings migration, medication, and reminiscence to life.Topics Studied:
- Drugs
- Inner Drugs (residency)
- Inventive Writing
Establishments Attended:
- Madras Medical School
- East Tennessee State College
- Boston College
- Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Chosen Works:
- Slicing for Stone
- The Covenant of Water
- My Personal Nation
- The Tennis Associate
Pico Iyer: Between continents and minds
Divides time between Huge Sur, California and Nara, JapanSon of the thinker Raghavan N. Iyer and tutorial Nandini Iyer, Pico Iyer’s biography is virtually a philosophical riddle. Born in England, raised in California, educated at Eton, Oxford, and Harvard—his life resembles a literary map in fixed movement. Although a British citizen, Iyer writes from California and Japan, his prose echoing with themes of stillness, solitude, and the religious price of modernity.His work is much less about passport and extra about perspective.Topics Studied:Establishments Attended:
- Eton School
- College of Oxford
- Harvard College
Chosen Works:
- The Half Recognized Life
- The Artwork of Stillness
- Video Night time in Kathmandu
- The Open Street
Siddhartha Mukherjee: Drugs within the blood, storytelling within the soul
Lives in New York MetropolisBorn in Delhi to Dr Subir Mukherjee, a doctor, and Chandana Mukherjee, Siddhartha grew up with dinner desk conversations that veered between biology and Bengali literature. He attended St. Columba’s Faculty in Delhi earlier than heading to Stanford. A Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a Harvard Medical Faculty graduate, Mukherjee has made medical science profoundly human by means of narrative. Now primarily based in New York, he bridges the lab and the library with uncommon ease.Topics Studied:
- Biology
- Immunology
- Drugs
Establishments Attended:
- St. Columba’s Faculty (Delhi)
- Stanford College
- College of Oxford
- Harvard Medical Faculty
Chosen Works:
- The Emperor of All Maladies
- The Gene: An Intimate Historical past
- The Music of the Cell
- The Legal guidelines of Drugs
Jhumpa Lahiri: Rhythms from Bengal to Rhode Island to Princeton
Lives in Princeton, New JerseyBorn in London, raised within the US, Jhumpa Lahiri is the daughter of Amar Lahiri, a librarian on the College of Rhode Island, and Tapati Lahiri, a schoolteacher. The immigrant melancholy of her childhood—half in West Bengal, half in New England—haunts her prose. She studied at Barnard School and earned a number of graduate levels at Boston College, together with a PhD.Immediately, as a professor at Princeton, she continues to write down throughout two languages, exploring themes of id and translation—usually, fairly actually.Topics Studied:
- English Literature
- Comparative Literature
- Renaissance Research
Establishments Attended:
- Barnard School
- Boston College
- Princeton College
Chosen Works:
- Interpreter of Maladies
- The Namesake
- Unaccustomed Earth
- Translating Myself and Others
Tania James: Science, Artwork, and the hyphenated life
Lives in Washington, D.C.Born in Chicago and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Tania James is the daughter of Cecil James, an engineer, and Saroja James, a pharmacist. Whereas science paid the payments at dwelling, artwork stirred her soul. She studied Visible and Environmental Research at Harvard and later pursued an MFA in artistic writing at Columbia. Her tales transfer between continents with fluid grace—very like her personal upbringing.Topics Studied:
- Visible and Environmental Research
- Inventive Writing
Establishments Attended:
- Harvard College
- Columbia College
Chosen Works:
- Loot
- The Tusk That Did the Harm
- Atlas of Unknowns
- Aerogrammes
Vauhini Vara: Journeys North and West
Lives in Fort Collins, ColoradoBorn in Canada and raised within the US, Vara has been formed extra by parental values than publicity—her dad and mom select to stay out of the highlight. However their quiet resilience shines by means of her work. After incomes a level in worldwide relations from Stanford, she pursued artistic writing on the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Now primarily based in Colorado, Vara fuses speculative tech with sharp realism.Topics Studied:
- Worldwide Relations
- Inventive Writing
Establishments Attended:
- Stanford College
- Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Chosen Works:
- The Immortal King Rao
- This Is Salvaged
Parini Shroff: Legislation, letters, and laughter
Lives within the Bay Space, CaliforniaNot a lot is thought about Parini Shroff’s household historical past, however her voice is unmistakably formed by cultural duality. She studied legislation at Loyola Legislation Faculty earlier than turning to fiction by means of an MFA on the College of Texas, Austin. Her breakout novel is a riotous tackle crime, caste, and feminine resistance—India seen by means of a diasporic telescope, tinted with satire.Topics Studied:Establishments Attended:
- Loyola Legislation Faculty
- College of Texas at Austin
Chosen Work:
Zara Chowdhary: The Seek for House
Lives in Madison, WisconsinZara’s life has been one among motion—India, the UK, and eventually the American Midwest. She earned levels on the College of Leeds and Iowa State College. Her fiction is layered with longing, reminiscence, and the areas in between. The non-public isn’t just political—it’s geographical.Topics Studied:
- Media and Efficiency Research
- Inventive Writing
Establishments Attended:
- College of Leeds
- Iowa State College
Chosen Work:
Asha Thanki: New Tales from the Midwest
Lives in Minneapolis, MinnesotaAsha Thanki was raised within the US in a household that chooses privateness over profile. However her work speaks volumes about inheritance, invisibility, and grief. She graduated from Georgetown’s Faculty of Overseas Service and is at present pursuing an MFA on the College of Minnesota. Her debut novel marks her as a pointy observer of displacement and girlhood in center America.Topics Studied:
- Tradition and Politics
- Inventive Writing
Establishments Attended:
- Georgetown College
- College of Minnesota
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