नवीनतम
Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker Prize for 'Heart Lamp'
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi won the International Booker Prize for fiction Tuesday for “Heart Lamp,” a collection of 12 short stories written over a period of more than 30 years and which chronicle the everyday lives and struggles of women in southern India.
The award was announced by bestselling Booker Prize-longlisted author Max Porter in his role as chair of the five-member voting panel, at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern.
It is the first time the award has been given to a collection of short stories. Bhasthi is the first Indian translator — and ninth female translator — to win the prize since it took on its current form in 2016. Mushtaq is the sixth female author to be awarded the prize since then.
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Written in Kannada, which is spoken by around 65 million people, primarily in southern India, Porter praised the “radical” nature of the translation, adding that “It’s been a joy” to listen to the evolving appreciation of the stories by members of the jury.
“These beautiful, busy, life-affirming stories rise from Kannada, interspersed with the extraordinary socio-political richness of other languages and dialects," said Porter. ”It speaks of women’s lives, reproductive rights, faith, caste, power and oppression.”
The book, which beat five other finalists, comprises stories written from 1990 to 2023. They were selected and curated by Bhasthi, who was keen to preserve the multilingual nature of southern India in her translation.
Mushtaq, who is a lawyer and activist as well as writer, told a short-list reading event on Sunday that the 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 50,000-pound ($66,000) prize money is to be divided equally between author and translator. Each is presented with a trophy too.
The International Booker Prize is awarded every year. It is run alongside the Booker Prize for English-language fiction, which will be handed out in the fall.
Max Porter, Chair of the International Booker Prize 2025 jury, lauded Heart Lamp, stating that it was a unanimous favourite among the judges. “This was the book the judges really loved, right from our first reading. It’s been a joy to listen to the evolving appreciation of these stories from the different perspectives of the jury. We are thrilled to share this timely and exciting winner with readers around the world,” he said.
Back home, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah congratulated Banu Mushtaq for her historic win. Taking to X, he wrote, “Heartfelt congratulations to Kannada’s pride, author Banu Mushtaq, who has been awarded the International Booker Prize. This is a moment of celebration for Kannada, Kannadigas, and Karnataka.”
The Chief Minister also praised the translator, saying, “On behalf of all Kannadigas, I extend congratulations to the talented writer Deepa Bhasthi, who translated Banu Mushtaq’s Booker Prize-winning work Hridaya Deepa into English as Heart Lamp. I wish she continues to write and translate with strength and spirit, spreading the essence of Kannada across the world.”
