Banu Mushtaq has become the first author writing in Kannada—and the first to win with a short story collection—to receive the prestigious 2025 International Booker Prize. Her book Heart Lamp, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, highlights the struggles and resilience of marginalized women in southern India, marking a significant moment in Indian and global literary history.

Key Points:

• Heart Lamp is the first Kannada-language work and the first short story collection ever to win the International Booker Prize.
• The book comprises 12 stories written between 1990 and 2023, focusing on the lives of Muslim and Dalit women and confronting issues like patriarchy, caste, and faith.
• Translator Deepa Bhasthi shares the £50,000 prize with Mushtaq, becoming the first Indian translator to win the award.
• The jury praised the book for its "radical translation" and called it something "genuinely new" for English readers.
• Following the announcement, demand surged for the book in both Kannada and English, with bookstores in Bengaluru reporting record sales.

About Banu Mushtaq

Banu Mushtaq, born in 1948 in Hassan, Karnataka, is a renowned Kannada writer, lawyer, and social activist associated with the Bandaya Sahitya movement. Her works focus on the struggles of marginalized women, shaped by her legal and activist background. Despite facing social backlash for her progressive views, she has authored several acclaimed collections and made history in 2025 as the first Kannada author—and the first with a short story collection—to win the International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp.