Banu Mushtaq's Heart Lamp Wins 2025 International Booker Prize

A Landmark Victory for Kannada Literature

Banu Mushtaq's Heart Lamp has won the 2025 International Booker Prize, marking the first time a Kannada-language work and a short story collection have received this prestigious award. Books

Illuminating Marginalized Voices

[{"selector":"#anim-7c38da8e-b516-4f04-b98b-298d56279bd2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":7000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8e16e7c8-a224-44a1-8214-e15389ecfce1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-90.37162%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":7000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Heart Lamp presents twelve stories that delve into the lives of Muslim and Dalit women in southern India, exploring themes of gender, faith, and societal pressures with emotional depth and dry humor. Man Reading

The Author's Journey

Banu Mushtaq, a lawyer and activist from Karnataka, has been a prominent voice in the Bandaya Sahitya movement, using her writing to challenge caste and religious oppression.

Bridging Cultures Through Translation

Translator Deepa Bhasthi has preserved the cultural richness of the original Kannada text, incorporating Urdu and Arabic terms to maintain authenticity and bring the stories to a wider audience.

Characters That Resonate

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Critical Acclaim

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A Surge in Popularity

Following the award, bookstores in Bengaluru experienced a literary frenzy, with copies of Heart Lamp flying off the shelves and readers eager to explore its profound narratives. Books

Elevating Regional Literature

[{"selector":"#anim-dd6865bb-bfe1-47dc-b8c4-7dea5e46a27f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] This win marks a significant milestone for Indian regional literature, bringing Kannada narratives to a global audience and highlighting the importance of diverse voices in literature.

A Must-Read Collection

Experience the powerful stories of Heart Lamp , a testament to the strength and resilience of women, and a shining example of the richness of regional Indian literature.