Banu Mushtaq Wins 2025 International Booker Prize
Kannada author Banu Mushtaq has won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her book 'Heart Lamp,' making her the second Indian author to win this prestigious award. The book was translated into English by Deep Bhasti. 'Heart Lamp' is a collection of 12 short stories that depict the lives of women in the Muslim society of South India. Banu Mushtaq, a well-known Indian author, lawyer, and women's rights activist, made history by winning the International Booker Prize for her short story collection 'Heart Lamp' in 2025. She was awarded a trophy along with a prize of 50,000 pounds.
This is the first Kannada short story collection to be honored in London on May 20. Originally written in Kannada, 'Heart Lamp' was translated into English by Deep Bhasti. She also shared the award with Mushtaq. Banu Mushtaq has authored six short story collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a poetry book.
Banu Mushtaq, who specializes in Kannada literature, has won major awards like the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award and the Dana Chintamani Attimbe Award for her literary work. Mushtaq becomes the second Indian author to win the International Booker Prize with a book translated from an Indian language into English.
'Heart Lamp' is the first Kannada book to win the prestigious award. Previously, Geetanjali Shree won the Booker Prize in 2022 for her novel 'Tomb of Sand,' which was translated from Hindi to English. Deep Bhasti, the translator of 'Heart Lamp,' is a Kannada author and literary translator from Kodagu, Karnataka. She has translated several works, including a novel by Kota Shivaram Karanth and a collection of short stories by Kodagina Gauramma.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi, and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah congratulated Mushtaq for winning the 2025 International Booker Prize. Siddaramaiah expressed his happiness, writing on Twitter, 'Congratulations to Kannada's pride, author Banu Mushtaq, for receiving the International Booker Prize. This is a moment for Kannadigas and Karnataka to celebrate.' He also congratulated Deep Bhasti for translating 'Heart Lamp' into English.
Deep Bhasti said, 'I hope she continues to write for a long time and spreads the fragrance of Kannada to the world.' The chairman of the 2025 Booker Prize judges, Max Porter, praised the book and mentioned that the book's evolving appreciation came from various perspectives within the jury.
According to the Booker Prize website, Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp' is a collection of 12 short stories that portray the daily lives of women and girls in the patriarchal Muslim community of South India. The stories feature brilliant young girls, cheeky grandmothers, mischievous clerics, and sly brothers in both sharp and sweet tales. Through fictional autobiographical events, Banu's experiences as a women's rights activist and lawyer are also reflected. The collection spans stories written between 1990 and 2023, and incorporates words from Urdu and Persian, adding depth to the atmosphere of the stories.