In a historic moment for literature, 77-year-old Banu Mushtaq has become the first author to win the International Booker Prize for a short story collection. Her book Heart Lamp, originally written in Kannada and skillfully translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, has drawn global attention for its compelling narratives about Muslim women in South India, highlighting their everyday battles with religious constraints, patriarchy, and cultural expectations.
The International Booker Prize, which began in 2005, was initially awarded for lifetime achievements. Since its restructuring in 2016, it now honors a single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland in the past year. Heart Lamp is the first short story collection to earn this honor under the new format. The $66,700 prize will be equally shared between Mushtaq and Bhasthi, celebrating the translator’s integral contribution.
The 12 stories within Heart Lamp delve into intense personal and societal challenges. One tale follows a mother contemplating suicide after her husband remarries. Another reveals a woman’s futile pleas to a religious leader for help with her child’s medical bills. Other stories explore themes of faith, resilience, and marriage expectations. More than documenting oppression, Mushtaq’s writing showcases how these women resist, rage, and speak out against injustice.
What truly distinguishes this collection is its unapologetic portrayal of women’s strength and dissent. Judge Max Porter remarked that these stories are not simplistic accounts of victimhood but rather display boldness, humor, and cultural richness. He also praised Bhasthi’s translation for preserving the linguistic flavor of the original, allowing Indian idioms and untranslated words to retain their essence.
Mushtaq, whose literary roots lie in the Bandaya Sahitya protest movement, has long championed the voices of marginalized communities. Although her stories span from 1990 to 2023, Heart Lamp marks her debut English translation. She draws on real-life encounters and news events to shape her stories, stating that her emotional connection to incidents drives her writing.
Despite its recent acclaim, Heart Lamp received limited coverage in Western media before the award. Yet, critics now emphasize its global relevance. Mushtaq described the win as “a thousand fireflies lighting up one sky,” affirming that even stories from a village banyan tree can echo across the world stage.
