Multilingual Identity and Cultural Belonging in Vikram Seth’s The Golden Gate

Abstract

This paper explores Vikram Seth’s The Golden Gate  through the lens of multilingual identity and cultural belonging. Although the novel is set in 1980s San Francisco and follows the lives of American characters, its form, style, and themes reflect the transnational, multicultural identity of its author. Written entirely in verse using a Russian poetic form, the novel offers a unique look at global literary traditions, the politics of language, and the complex search for identity and connection in a multilingual world. Through characters who struggle with isolation, activism, and emotional displacement, Seth reflects his own diasporic consciousness and challenges traditional ideas of nationality and belonging.