Banu Mushtaq wins international Booker Prize: All about her book Heart Lamp
Indian author, lawyer, and activist
Banu Mushtaq
just made history—and in the best way possible. She's bagged the
International Booker Prize
for her short story collection
Heart Lamp
, making it the very first time a work in Kannada has ever won the coveted award. The stories, originally written in Kannada and beautifully translated into English by
Deepa Bhasthi
, span over 30 years and shine a powerful light on the everyday struggles of Muslim women in southern India.
Mushtaq grew up in Karnataka, and her dual education in Urdu and Kannada helped shape her unique literary voice. She started writing back in her school days, pushing past social norms to go for higher education and follow her creative instincts. Her personal life—especially the emotional upheavals of an early marriage and dealing with postpartum depression—deeply colors her storytelling, making her characters all the more raw and relatable.
All about Banu Mushtaq's award winning book Heart Lamp
"My stories are about women – how religion, society, and politics demand unquestioning obedience from them, and in doing so, inflict inhumane cruelty upon them, turning them into mere subordinates. The daily incidents reported in media and the personal experiences I have endured have been my inspiration. The pain, suffering, and helpless lives of these women create a deep emotional response within me, compelling me to write," she told in an interview for the Booker Prize Foundation's website.
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"Stories for the Heart Lamp collection were chosen from around 50 stories in six story collections I wrote between 1990 and later. Usually, there will be a single draft, and the second one will be a final copy. I do not engage in extensive research; my heart itself is my field of study. The more intensely the incidence affects me, the more deeply and emotionally I write," she added.
She's not just a writer either. Mushtaq has worn many hats—journalist, lawyer, and active voice in the Bandaya movement, which uses literature as a form of protest against social and economic injustice.
Her fearless take on women's rights hasn't always been well-received—she's faced threats and even a fatwa. But none of that has stopped her. She continues to write with fierce honesty, always circling back to themes of survival, strength, and standing tall.
Heart Lamp
has been earning rave reviews for how gently and powerfully it captures lives pushed to the margins. Her win comes not long after Geetanjali Shree's 2022 Booker triumph with
Tomb of Sand
, and together they're proof that Indian regional literature is finally getting the global spotlight it deserves.
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