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Deccan Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
CM Siddaramaiah calls Banu Mushtaq ‘bold, progressive voice for Muslim women'
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah felicitated International Booker prize-winning Kannada author Banu Mushtaq and her English translator Deepa Bhasthi at a programme organised by the Kannada and Culture department on Mushtaq's translated work, 'Heart Lamp,' won the International Booker prize recently. .On the occasion, Siddaramaiah said, 'Literature has the power to bind society'..'Literature should unite, not divide us. Banu Mushtaq has brought pride to Kannada by winning the Booker Prize. This is a moment of collective pride for the entire Kannada-speaking world,' he said. .'As a bold and progressive voice for Muslim women, Banu Mushtaq has stood against orthodoxy and fulfilled the responsibility of delivering a humanistic message through her literature,' the chief minister said. .People's understanding of Kannada is incorrect, there's no language as tolerant as ours: Banu announced a Rs 10-lakh award each for Mushtaq and Bhasthi, along with government support for translating Banu Mushtaq's other works into English..A visibly moved Mushtaq said, 'Karnataka helped me grow roots, form ideas and inspired my creativity. Winning the Booker was a dream. But the encouragement I received online kept me going. This honour from the state means more to me than any award I've received.'.She emphasised Kannada's spirit of inclusivity and harmony and noted, 'No other language lives as harmoniously as Kannada'..To young writers, she said, 'Believe in your voice. This award belongs to every writer, poet, storyteller and singer in Karnataka. There are countless stories to tell — let's tell them all'..Bhasthi spoke of language as a living, evolving force..'Kannada has not been elevated by the Booker. Instead, the award has elevated the status of English and English thrives because it absorbs cultures. Let us not bend Kannada to fit English. Instead, stretch English to suit Kannada's music, tempo and accent,' she called for 'decolonisation of English,' asserting, 'No one can take away our language rights'..Bhasthi emphasised the need for continued dialogue on language, identity and translation to ensure the Booker prize recognition has lasting significance.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Heart lamp burns bright
By: Payyannur Kunhiraman Banu Mushtaq, who won the International Booker prize for her book 'Heart Lamp', gave voice to the burning, often unheard life stories of Muslim women in South India. From a young age, she stood up against religious fundamentalism, and that resistance became the foundation of her identity as a writer. Her stories shine with clarity and courage, cutting through the darkness of silence, injustice, and gender oppression. Rooted deeply in the landscapes of Karnataka, her narratives reflect the raw, lived realities of young Muslim women, told with unflinching honesty and profound emotional depth. They are not just stories—they are powerful philosophical reflections on life and struggle. 'There is always a veil of darkness over women,' she says. 'Writers have to tear it away and lead them into the light. Life may come with a thousand hardships, but it should not be spent in misery. Women must reclaim the rights long denied to them. A woman's life,' she adds, 'is not meant to be spent sighing at the stars blooming in the vast sky—but to rise, and become one.' She says the human values instilled by her mother and father have played a vital role in shaping both her writing and her life. Her parents taught her lessons of equality and offered crucial support during her childhood, a period she describes as a time of trial and error. She grew up free from gender or caste distinctions, and these life philosophies and ideals nurtured in her youth were what guided her as she embarked on her writing journey. Mushtaq wrote her first story while she was working as a teacher after completing her studies. It offered a powerful and intimate portrayal of a young woman's lived experience. Since then, her writing has been marked by deep philosophical insight, with each story reflecting the complexities of life. A strong sense of anger and resistance runs through her work, as she sheds light on the harsh realities faced by Muslim women—women who are often burdened by relentless hardships, denied freedom of expression, confined within their homes, and silenced from sharing their thoughts and aspirations. Mushtaq sees life with an independent mind and connects it to a deeper sense of human compassion. Yet, she doesn't hold back when criticizing young men, parents, and religious leaders who still treat women as property—no different from gold or money. Kannada literature has a strong legacy, and her writing belongs among its notable works. Her focus on exposing the long-standing oppression of women also makes her an activist. Through her stories, she doesn't just narrate lives—she stirs awareness. Rooted in everyday realities, her writing pushes for change. In interviews, she has said she always speaks for women, especially moved by the pain they endure. She notes how religion and God are often used to help men succeed, while women are expected to suffer quietly. Years ago, I visited her home in Hassan, on the city's west side. A well-known lawyer in Karnataka, she has also been a two-time member of the Hassan Municipal Corporation. But it's her writing that has earned her the most recognition. Across Karnataka and beyond, Mushtaq is celebrated as a bold literary voice and a symbol of women's resilience. She believes every writer must engage with a society built on inequality and silence, where women's unheard sighs of sorrow exist from birth. When a writer truly sees and listens to this pain, their work crosses boundaries and speaks to the world. 'The heart itself is the field of study,' she explains. Her themes emerge from intense personal and observed experiences rather than academic research. This authenticity gives her stories their revolutionary edge, transforming literature into a tool of liberation that challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about society's treatment of women. Mushtaq's outspoken views and actions often challenged traditional norms within her Muslim community, drawing the ire of religious fundamentalists. In 2000, she faced a fatwa after stating, 'Islam has never prohibited women from entering mosques and praying there.' This comment angered some mosque authorities, who responded by declaring, 'You are not among Muslims; you cannot socialize with Muslim people,' she recalls in an interview. The fatwa was eventually lifted after three months. Mushtaq is also an accomplished journalist, widely recognized for her sharp, fearless writing. Drawing from firsthand experiences in the field, her journalism is grounded in truth and empathy. However, her bold reporting also led to backlash, including personal attacks. She warns that we are living in a time marked by the rise of communalism and fascism—forces that threaten the fabric of society. In such a climate, she argues, silence is not neutrality but surrender. Remaining quiet in the face of injustice only empowers the aggressors. The growing tide of religious hatred, she says, is deeply alarming and must be confronted with the unwavering strength of secular values. (The writer has translated several of Banu Mushtaq's works from Kannada into Malayalam & is the recipient of Karnataka Sahithya Academy's award for translation) Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Mind-expanding books': International Booker prize shortlist announced
Hiromi Kawakami and Solvej Balle have made this year's International Booker prize shortlist, which for the first time is comprised entirely of books published by independent presses. British translator Sophie Hughes has been shortlisted for her translation of Perfection, originally written in Italian by Vincenzo Latronico. This marks the fifth time Hughes has been shortlisted for the prize, making her the award's record holder for the most times shortlisted and longlisted. On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J Haveland (Faber) Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson (Small Axes) Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Asa Yoneda (Granta) Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes (Fitzcarraldo) Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi (And Other Stories) A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson (Lolli) Six author-translator teams are now in contention for the £50,000 prize, the winner of which will be announced on 20 May, with the prize money divided equally between author and translator. Japanese writer Kawakami, best known for her novel Strange Weather in Tokyo, has been shortlisted for her novel-in-stories Under the Eye of the Big Bird, translated by Asa Yoneda. Danish writer Balle and Scottish translator Barbara J Haveland have been chosen for On the Calculation of Volume I, the first of a planned septology in which the protagonist Tara is stuck in a time loop. 'These mind-expanding books ask what might be in store for us, or how we might mourn, worship or survive', said author and judging chair Max Porter. 'They offer knotty, sometimes pessimistic, sometimes radically hopeful answers to these questions. Taken together they build a miraculous lens through which to view human experience, both the truly disturbing and the achingly beautiful.' The shortlisted titles are slim, with four coming in at under 200 pages, including Latronico's Perfection. The novel, about a millennial expat couple living in Berlin, 'transcends its satire of 2010s hipsterdom through the depth of Latronico's sociological observations', writes Thomas McMullan in the Guardian. 'This chronicle of contemporary Berlin is strongest in its articulation of how a certain kind of globalisation dislocates us from our surroundings.' Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from French by Helen Stevenson, was also selected. The book was written in three weeks, and is based on recordings from a real event in November 2021, when a dinghy carrying migrants from France to the UK capsized in the Channel, causing the death of 27 people on board. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion A book translated from Kannada – a language spoken by tens of millions of people, primarily in the state of Karnataka in southwest India – features on the shortlist for the first time in the prize's history this year: Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi. It contains 12 stories originally published between 1990 and 2023, which capture the daily lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. Completing the shortlist is A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated from French by Mark Hutchinson. Serre wrote the book, about a woman with severe psychological disorders, in six months after the suicide of her sister. 'I wanted to create a memorial to her', said Serre. The other titles longlisted for this year's prize were The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem, translated by Sinan Antoon; There's a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert; Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu, translated by Sean Cotter; Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda, translated by Julia Sanches and Heather Cleary; Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated by Polly Barton; Eurotrash by Christian Kracht, translated by Daniel Bowles; and On a Woman's Madness by Astrid Roemer, translated by Lucy Scott. Alongside Porter on this year's judging panel are the poet Caleb Femi, writer and Guardian critic Sana Goyal, author and translator Anton Hur, and musician Beth Orton. Authors who have previously won the award include Han Kang, Olga Tokarczuk and Lucas Rijneveld. Last year, Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann won the prize for Kairos. To explore all of the books on the shortlist for the International Booker prize 2025 visit Delivery charges may apply.
The Guardian
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Bullaun Press wins Republic of Consciousness prize for ‘rollicking picaresque' novel
Irish publisher Bullaun Press has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses with the book There's a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated from French by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert. There's a Monster Behind the Door is a 'rollicking, sardonic picaresque', said judge Houman Barekat. 'The novel has important things to say about colonialism and society, but it's also tremendous fun – darkly funny, acerbic, energetic.' The novel, which is also longlisted for this year's International Booker prize, is set in the 1980s on the French overseas department of Réunion Island, where Bélem was born. The book is 'a compact, comic tour-de-force', said judge Jude Cook. 'It interrogates postcolonial legacies, domestic abuse and a young girl's rite of passage into adulthood with the lightest of touches.' There's a Monster Behind the Door is Bélem's first of two novels. The French edition won the Grand Prix du Roman Métis and the Prix André Dubreuil du Premier Roman. Bélem also teaches secondary school students and works as an associate judge in a juvenile court. Her 'tragi-comedy novel disrupts the tired trope of the trauma novel and is equally brutal in its critique of postcolonial narratives', said judge Alice Jolly. 'The writing is lively, supple and vigorous. The work of the translators who have brought this book to English-speaking audiences must also be celebrated.' The book's publisher, Bullaun Press, was set up in 2021 by Bridget Farrell to focus on literature in translation. The press's name comes from the Irish word for a stone with a manmade hollow that holds water at its centre, bullán. 'Many bullauns around the country are traditionally associated with magical, healing or holy properties,' reads the publisher's website. Shortlisted alongside the winning book were Invisible Dogs by Charles Boyle, published by CB Editions; How to Leave the World by Marouane Bakhti, translated by Lara Vergnaud and published by Divided Publishing; Célina by Catherine Axelrad, translated by Philip Terry, published by Les Fugitives; and Mother Naked by Glen James Brown, published by Peninsula Press. All longlisted presses received £500 each. Shortlisted presses were awarded an additional £1,000 each, with 70% going to the press and 30% to the writer and translator. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion The prize was set up to celebrate small presses based in the UK and Ireland. Previous winners include Fitzcarraldo Editions for Counternarratives by John Keene and Influx Press for Attrib. and other stories by Eley Williams. In 2024, Charco Press was named winner with Of Cattle and Men by Brazilian writer Ana Paula Maia, translated by Zoë Perry.
The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Author Vincenzo Latronico: ‘I left Italy out of sadness'
Vincenzo Latronico, 40, was born in Rome and grew up in Milan. In 2009, he moved to Berlin, the setting of his fourth novel, Perfection, currently longlisted (in Sophie Hughes's translation) for the International Booker prize. Ecstatically reviewed, it updates Georges Perec's 1965 novel Things: A Story of the Sixties, about advertising's impact on an aspirational young French couple, recast by Latronico as expat digital creatives whose first reflex 'if they spilled some coffee... was to press Command-Z' to undo it. Speaking from Milan, his home again since 2023, Latronico laughs when I quote the line: 'That happens to me all the time!' Why did you want to rewrite Perec's Things? It was almost a way to keep my mental health in lockdown. I thought: 'OK, you're not managing to write anything creative, so just pedantically rewrite Perec.' It took on a life of its own but began as an exercise in keeping busy. I'd been struggling for years to capture the way our inner life is shaped by the flow of images we see online. My sexuality is defined by images I've seen of how people have sex; my apartment is defined by images of other people's apartments... I read Things and immediately saw parallels. Perec was trying to describe the life of someone whose identity is defined by their relationship to objects. He flipped the hierarchy of a traditional novel by putting his characters in the background; the detail of their surroundings becomes the main stage, which was exactly what I needed. What attracted you to writing in such an impassive style? I was trained by reviewing for the art magazine Frieze. I'd be giving my opinion on works of art and my editor would say: 'No: describe the pieces in detail and make your opinion transpire from the way you describe them.' Ultimately, that aligned with my way of writing. I have a terrible ear for dialogue and can never quote verbatim what somebody said, even at important moments of my life. But I memorise details of clothing immediately; description, more than dialogue, resonates with what seems salient to me in the world. How did you strike a balance between satire and sympathy? I'd never claim I've done anything better than Perec, but he clearly judges his characters as fools brainwashed by consumerism. I didn't want a smug satire about the superficiality of millennial life – it's my life! The chapter that most closely represents my thinking is the one about sex. Anna and Tom have passionate sex, even after 10 years, but they're afraid it isn't enough. This is the 'extension of the domain of struggle' Michel Houellebecq refers to in the title of his first novel [translated into English as Whatever]. Once you start saying: 'This aspect of my life could be optimised,' it immediately isn't enough, because anything can be 'better' by some definition. This also happened to me with food. In the past, you'd make some pasta, a salad, and that'd be it. Then it became: 'It shouldn't only be healthy, but also look good.' Once something enters the domain of optimisation, there's no turning back. Was the book as rapturously received in Italy? Within a month in the UK, it's sold as many copies as in three years in Italy [laughs]. Italian literature looks more to the past. People felt the novel wasn't something that spoke about everyday life but was instead an exotic document of something that happens elsewhere. What first got you into writing? Playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid. I wrote heaps of fantasy and basically taught myself English to understand Magic: The Gathering. You've translated F Scott Fitzgerald and Isaac Asimov, among many other writers. Has your work as a translator shaped your fiction? The effort to inhabit the way somebody else uses language widens the boundaries of what you think is possible. Being a translator is like hosting a writer literally within your own voice; when the guest leaves, they maybe leave a pair of shoes behind and you start wearing them. What's Italy like as a place to write? When I left for Berlin, it was a different universe; now there's a thriving community of writers my age and younger. In Berlin, I was part of an international community of writers but almost nobody could read one another. We spoke in German or English but the Germans couldn't read my books and the Americans couldn't read my books or the Germans' books. We'd talk about Sheila Heti or Rachel Cusk but not about what we were doing. It's part of the reason I moved back. Tell us what you read growing up. Comic books, obsessively. I listened to the album Tales of Mystery and Imagination by the Alan Parsons Project because it was referenced in a series I loved, [Battle Angel] Alita. When I realised the album was based on a book by Edgar Allan Poe, I got it out of the library - probably the first book I read that school hadn't forced me to. I remember so clearly the afternoon I read The Cask of Amontillado; I could feel my heart beating from the tension. What was the last novel you enjoyed?In Ascension by Martin MacInnes. I'll definitely write science fiction one day but I'm not ready yet. How come you left Italy for Berlin in the first place? Out of sadness; I was tired of politics. My first novel [Ginnastica e rivoluzione, 2008] was about the G8 in Genoa in 2001, one of the biggest demos in Italy's history, which got nothing, except that a kid was killed by police. It showed the inefficacy of a way of doing politics that had started in the 60s. In the 00s, I was part of a collective in Milan that squatted a building to organise many activities: an after-school club, community gardening, free meals with leftovers from food markets, a collaborative gallery involving local schools and artists. It was an early anti-gentrification fight; of course, we lost. If you Google Milan, the luxury skyscrapers you see with the forest on top [the Bosco Verticale] were built on our building. After we got evicted, I wanted to move somewhere where I was no longer a citizen, where I had no stake and couldn't fight for anything but just care about my own business. I'm not proud of that. Perfection is the story of two people sheltering themselves from the real world, whatever that is. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated by Sophie Hughes, is published by Fitzcarraldo (£12.99). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at Delivery charges may apply
