Sat May 24 21:00:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**
Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq has won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her collection of short stories, “Heart Lamp,” translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. The book, originally written in Kannada and titled “Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu,” features stories about Muslim girls and women navigating patriarchal structures. Mushtaq, inspired by the Bandaya Sahitya movement, has been writing about the experiences of marginalized women for decades. The win is significant as it is the first for Kannada literature and only the second time an Indian writer has won the award in the last three years. Both Mushtaq and Bhasthi emphasized the richness of Kannada and hope the award will lead to more translations from South Asian languages.
**News Article:**
**Kannada Writer Banu Mushtaq Wins International Booker Prize for “Heart Lamp”**
**Mysuru, India – May 25, 2025** – Banu Mushtaq, a 77-year-old Kannada writer and activist, has been awarded the prestigious 2025 International Booker Prize for her collection of short stories, “Heart Lamp.” The anthology, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi from its original Kannada title, “Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu,” explores the lives of Muslim women on the margins, grappling with patriarchal constraints and seeking agency.
This marks the first time a Kannada work has been recognized with the International Booker Prize, a momentous occasion for the language Mushtaq describes as possessing “cosmic wonder and earthly wisdom.” “Heart Lamp” is also the first short story collection to receive the honor.
The stories in “Heart Lamp,” written between 1990 and 2023, offer a poignant glimpse into the struggles and triumphs of women often overlooked by society. Mushtaq, inspired by the Bandaya Sahitya movement, has dedicated her career to giving voice to the voiceless, documenting the experiences of women with empathy and insight.
Bhasthi’s translation has been hailed as “radical,” capturing the nuances of Kannada and making Mushtaq’s stories accessible to a global audience. The Booker Jury Chair, Max Porter, praised the translation for its visceral impact.
In her acceptance speech, Mushtaq expressed her hope that the award would “light the way for more stories that defy borders,” and highlighted the importance of literature as a space for empathy and understanding. Both Mushtaq and Bhasthi expressed their hopes that the win will open doors for more translations from other languages of South Asia.
First Piper 