The Need To Tell Stories

"I've gained a lot from James Joyce, Tolstoy, Chekhov and R.K. Narayan. While writing, I try to see if the story is going to radiate spokes. Their literature has always done that and gifted me beautiful things. What brings me to my table every day is not an eagerness to please people. I'm just obeying my need to tell stories, and am grateful for all the amazing things that have happened to me that no writer dreams about."

- Jhumpa Lahiri, in a recent interview