In a landmark achievement for regional literature, writer, activist, and lawyer Banu Mushtaq has made history as the first Kannada author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize. Her acclaimed short story collection, Heart Lamp, earned the top honour at a dazzling awards ceremony held at the Tate Modern in London. Mushtaq accepted the prize alongside Deepa Bhasthi, who translated the work from Kannada into English.
Describing the win as a celebration of diversity and inclusion, Mushtaq hailed the moment as a powerful recognition of voices from regional and often overlooked languages.
Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 powerful short stories, written from 1990 to 2023, that illuminate the strength, wit, and quiet defiance of women living within patriarchal communities in southern India.
Steeped in the tradition of oral storytelling, the book captures vivid, emotionally rich snapshots of everyday life. Praised by the jury for its “witty, vivid, colloquial, moving, and excoriating” prose, the collection stood out for its candid exploration of family dynamics and social tensions, balancing warmth with an unflinching gaze.
Selected from a shortlist of six international titles, Heart Lamp triumphed over a diverse field of global literature. The other shortlisted works were:
On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated from Danish by Barbara J. Haveland
Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated from French by Helen Stevenson
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes
A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated from French by Mark Hutchinson
Each of the shortlisted books received a £5,000 prize, shared equally between author and translator. The £50,000 grand prize was also divided equally, with Mushtaq and Bhasthi each receiving £25,000.
