Author Jhumpa Lahiri turns down award over museum's Gaza stance

Pulitzer Prize-winning and Indian-origin author Jhumpa Lahiri has declined the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award that she was offered by the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York, as it fired three employees recently who were wearing kaffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The university fired the staff under the pretext of a new policy which bans staff from wearing clothing or accessories with political messages, leading to the firing of three employees who wore kaffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The museum, founded nearly 40 years ago by Japanese American designer and sculptor Isamu Noguchi, announced the policy last month. It applies only to employees during working hours and not to visitors.

The museum stated that such expressions could unintentionally alienate segments of its diverse visitorship. A majority of staffers signed a petition at the museum opposing the rule.

The museum confirmed Jhumpa Lahiri’s decision, in a statement on Wednesday, saying that they respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.

The museum management stated that they remain committed to their core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi’s art and legacy while upholding their values of inclusivity and openness.”

Jhumpa Lahiri, who was born in London to Indian immigrant parents, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000 for her debut story collection, Interpreter of Maladies. With her talents, she has since published several books in both English and Italian and currently directs the creative writing program at Barnard College.

The controversy over the dress code policy, implanted by the Noguchi Museum, comes amid broader debates on how cultural institutions should express solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians.

These debates have intensified since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year, resulting in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the taking of approximately 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip has led to over 41,000 deaths, according to local health authorities.

It is pertinent to mention that Jhumpa Lahiri was also among thousands of scholars who signed a letter to university presidents in May, expressing solidarity with campus protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. She described them as “unspeakable destruction.”

Jhumpa Lahiri and Korean-born minimalist artist Lee Ufan were initially set to receive the Isamu Noguchi Award at the museum’s fall benefit gala next month, however, Lahiri’s withdrawal highlights the ongoing tensions and differing perspectives within cultural institutions regarding political expression and solidarity.