Indian writer, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq has etched her name in literary history, becoming the first Kannada author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize. Her collection of short stories, "Heart Lamp," translated by Deepa Bhasthi, has garnered international acclaim, marking a significant milestone for Indian regional literature. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Tate Modern in London on May 20, 2025.
"Heart Lamp," a collection of 12 short stories penned between 1990 and 2023, offers a poignant portrayal of the lives of Muslim women in Karnataka, South India. The stories, lauded for their "astonishing portraits of survival and resilience," delve into the hardships, struggles, and triumphs of women navigating a society shaped by religious conservatism and patriarchal norms. The narratives explore themes of faith, gender, caste, power, and resistance, reflecting Mushtaq's deep understanding of the socio-political landscape.
The judging panel, led by chair Max Porter, commended the book's radical translation, which created new textures in a plurality of Englishes. They highlighted the stories' ability to speak of women's lives, reproductive rights, and oppression with wit, vividness, and moving detail. The win marks the first time a short story collection has received the International Booker Prize, adding another layer of significance to Mushtaq's achievement.
Banu Mushtaq's journey to literary stardom began in her childhood. Born in 1948 in Hassan, Karnataka, she was raised in a Muslim family and initially studied in an Urdu-medium school. However, her father, a government employee, recognized her potential and enrolled her in a Kannada-medium school at the age of eight. Despite the initial challenge of learning a new language, Mushtaq embraced Kannada and chose it as the medium for her literary expression.
Mushtaq's writing career began in the 1970s, with her first story published in a local magazine when she was 27. She worked as a reporter for a prominent local tabloid and was associated with the Bandaya movement, a literary and activist movement advocating for social and economic justice. Later, she practiced law to support her family, all the while continuing to write and publish.
Over her career, Mushtaq has penned six short story collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a volume of poetry. Her works have been translated into various languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Punjabi, Urdu, and English. Her stories often navigate themes of faith, gender, and resistance while shifting between Kannada, Urdu, Arabic, and Dakhni, showcasing her deep understanding of the cultural nuances of her region.
Deepa Bhasthi, the translator of "Heart Lamp," shares the £50,000 prize with Banu Mushtaq. Bhasthi's translation has been praised for its ability to capture the essence of Mushtaq's writing and convey the stories' cultural richness to a global audience. In her acceptance speech, Bhasthi expressed her hope that the win would encourage more translations from and into Kannada and other South Asian languages.
The International Booker Prize win is not only a personal triumph for Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi but also a significant win for Indian regional literature. It shines a spotlight on the diverse voices and stories emerging from India's many languages, highlighting the importance of translation in making these voices accessible to a wider readership. As Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-chief of Penguin India, noted, "Heart Lamp's triumph this year is a powerful reminder that literature in India's many languages demands our full attention. We owe it our ears."
