Indian Short-Story Collection Heart Lamp Wins 2025 International Booker Prize

Banu Mushtaq's 'Heart Lamp,' a collection of 12 short stories originally written in Kannada and translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, has won the 2025 International Booker Prize, marking the first time a short story collection and a work translated from Kannada have received the honor. The stories, written over 30 years, focus on the lives of Muslim women in patriarchal southern Indian communities, exploring themes such as women's rights, caste, faith, and oppression, inspired by Mushtaq's work as a lawyer and women's rights advocate. Translator Deepa Bhasthi intentionally preserved the multilingual texture of the original, incorporating Urdu and Arabic words and creating an English with a deliberate Kannada accent to maintain cultural authenticity. The prize, which awards £50,000 split equally between author and translator, acknowledges the radical and life-affirming nature of the stories, praised by judges for their innovative translation approach and profound socio-political insights. This win is also a milestone for the independent publisher And Other Stories, which secured its first International Booker Prize with this title. The award is expected to boost sales and expand international recognition for the book, emphasizing its relevance in contemporary discussions about gender and social justice.