The latest Booker award is a nod to marginal literature
Deepa Bhasthi also became the first Indian to win this prize for her translation.
The award committee recognised this collection for its use of English in creative ways. In its official commentary, it said that it was 'A radical translation which ruffles language, to create new textures in a plurality of Englishes. It challenges and expands our understanding of translation. These beautiful, busy, life-affirming stories rise from Kannada, intersperse with the extraordinary socio-political richness of other languages and dialects. It speaks of women's lives, reproductive rights, faith, cast, power and oppression'.
This 'celebration of the multiplicity of language', according to The Guardian, is an inspiring new trend in English literature. Traditional ways of telling stories in 'correct' English is not an aspiration any more. But this collection uses a variety of English that reflects the rhythm and emotions of a lesser-known language.
Kannada is spoken by around 60 million people in one state in India, Karnataka. As such, it is not the most widely spoken or understood language, even in India. To centre a literary work from this comparatively marginal community is to recognise the significance of the lives of the ordinary.
We may question the importance placed on international awards, but there is no doubt that they help to bring focus on the world's lesser known languages and cultures. Data shows that a national prize increases visibility by 35 per cent and international prizes by more than 60 per cent. This, not only helps the writers and translators gain global recognition, but it also helps to bring the world's attention to parts of the world that would otherwise stay unexplored.
It also brings attention to the joys and struggles of people as they negotiate through life. This year's award winning collection 'Heart Lamp' brings to life the lives of women whose stories may never make the headlines – women who face social ostracism, violence and marginalisation based on cultural and social factors. But they are also women who fight back with resilience and dignity.
The book also centres on the author's own faith in the written word. As she said in her acceptance speech, 'In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the last sacred spaces where we can live inside each other's minds'.
Literary prizes are not guarantees of future success, but they do bring attention to various corners of our world. By choosing to celebrate women's lives in a distant land, the latest Booker prize has sensitised us to the complex varieties of human experiences, as also to the multiple ways in with Englishes are being invented and used by people around the world.
Sandhya Rao Mehta
The writer is Associate Professor, Sultan Qaboos University
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