Banu Mushtaq becomes 2nd Indian to win International Booker Prize

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

London, May 21: In a landmark moment for Indian literature, author and women’s rights activist Banu Mushtaq won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her short story collection Heart Lamp, marking the first time a work in Kannada—and a short story anthology—has received the prestigious honour. The award was announced in London on Tuesday.

Heart Lamp, a powerful compilation of 12 stories portraying the everyday struggles and resilience of women and girls in patriarchal societies of southern India, was originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023. This collection represents the first full-length English translation of Mushtaq’s work.

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The book was translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, a writer and translator from Kodagu, southern India, who also received the Booker honour alongside Mushtaq. Bhasthi’s previous translation credits include works by noted Kannada authors Kota Shivarama Karanth and Kodagina Gouramma.

With this recognition, Mushtaq becomes the second Indian writer ever to win the International Booker Prize. She is an acclaimed voice in Kannada literature, with six collections of short stories, a novel, essays, and poetry to her name. Her accolades include the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.