Charlemagne once said: “To have a second language is to have a second soul” (Kushner 29). By achieving a complete understanding of another language, one also gains insight into the culture of foreigners. It is common knowledge that in the modern world, English is the dominant language. However, bilingualism, or even multilingualism, is a sure sign of limited knowledge of cultural diversity. As American society becomes more accepting of diverse cultures in its politics and education, foreign voices also appear more in American literature. The diversity of origins of new young writers is vast: in the New Yorker's 2010 “Top 20 Under 40” list of new American writers, more than a third were not born in this country. Their homes crisscross the world, from Latvia to Peru (“Top 20 Under 40”). The growing popularity of these bicultural writers' stories can be attributed to changing attitudes in America. Our history and present are full of immigrant stories. Their perspectives are fresh and full of talent. Jhumpa Lahiri, a Bengali author, gained notoriety after being listed in the 1999 edition of “Top 20 Under 40”. The same year, his collection of short stories “Interpreter of Diseases” was published and sold millions of copies worldwide. Lahiri in particular is well known for, in the words of Aviya Kushner, "translating the immigrant experience for us, often lyrically...as the child of immigrants born in England, she can move in gentleness between the two worlds, marveling us and assuring us that, yes, everything will be okay” (Kushner 27). In many of her short stories, Lahiri focuses on this transition from a foreign culture – in her case, Indian – to American culture. More than often... middle of paper ...... May 2012. .Kakutani, Michiko. “BOOKS OF THE TIMES; A Broken Body in a Shining New China.” The New York Times. The New York Times, July 4, 2008. Web. May 4, 2012. .Kushner, Aviya. “McCulture.” The Wilson Quarterly 33.1 (2009): 22-29. JSTOR. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, December 2009. Web. May 2, 2012. .Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Diseases: Stories. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print. Ranjini, V. and N. Ramakrishna. “Immigrant Experience in the Interpreter of Diseases and Namesake of Jhumpa Lahiri.” Poetcrit 21.1 (2008): 64-74. Literary Reference Center Plus. Internet. May 5, 2012 Tyrell, Michael. “Interpreter of Diseases: Review. » Harvard Review 17 (1999): 198-199.JSTOR. Internet. May 4 2012.