Meet Banu Mushtaq, the Indian author who won International Booker Prize for ‘Heart Lamp'
Banu Mushtaq's Booker Prize win for her short stories on the lives of Muslim women is even more historic when seen in the context of rising Islamophobia in the world
Banu Mushtaq has been named winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize for her collection of short stories titled Heart Lamp at a ceremony in London's Tate Modern. The £50,000 prize will be shared equally with translator Deepa Bhasthi, who brought the Kannada text into English.
Heart Lamp features 12 stories following the lives of ordinary Muslim women in southern India. The collection introduces readers to stories of women who have to navigate subtly adverse conditions within the mundanities of day-to-day life. Mushtaq, who works as a lawyer and activist, draws inspiration from media reports and personal experiences. Her stories explore how religion, society and politics reduce women to subordinate positions.
Max Porter, chair of the judging panel of the Booker Prize, noted the collection's relevance amid rising Islamophobia and its challenge to Western stereotypes of Muslim women. The stories portray not just oppression but also solidarity, resilience, bravery and wit among the women. This marks the first win for a short story collection since the Booker Prize took its current form in 2016, and the first for a work translated from Kannada.
Mushtaq becomes only the second Indian author to receive the International Booker Prize, following Geetanjali Shree's 2022 win for Tomb of Sand.
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Meet Banu Mushtaq, the Indian author who won International Booker Prize for ‘Heart Lamp'
Banu Mushtaq's Booker Prize win for her short stories on the lives of Muslim women is even more historic when seen in the context of rising Islamophobia in the world Banu Mushtaq has been named winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize for her collection of short stories titled Heart Lamp at a ceremony in London's Tate Modern. The £50,000 prize will be shared equally with translator Deepa Bhasthi, who brought the Kannada text into English. Heart Lamp features 12 stories following the lives of ordinary Muslim women in southern India. The collection introduces readers to stories of women who have to navigate subtly adverse conditions within the mundanities of day-to-day life. Mushtaq, who works as a lawyer and activist, draws inspiration from media reports and personal experiences. Her stories explore how religion, society and politics reduce women to subordinate positions. Max Porter, chair of the judging panel of the Booker Prize, noted the collection's relevance amid rising Islamophobia and its challenge to Western stereotypes of Muslim women. The stories portray not just oppression but also solidarity, resilience, bravery and wit among the women. This marks the first win for a short story collection since the Booker Prize took its current form in 2016, and the first for a work translated from Kannada. Mushtaq becomes only the second Indian author to receive the International Booker Prize, following Geetanjali Shree's 2022 win for Tomb of Sand.
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