International Booker Prize

• 21 May 2025

On 20th May 2025, In a landmark moment for Indian and Kannada literature, author and women’s rights activist Banu Mushtaq has won the 2025 International Booker Prize for her short story collection Heart Lamp.

• Heart Lamp features 12 stories portraying the everyday lives of women and girls in patriarchal communities of southern India, spanning Mushtaq’s writing from 1990 to 2023.
• The book, originally written in Kannada, was translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi—marking the first full-length translation of Mushtaq’s work.
• The prestigious prize was jointly awarded to Mushtaq and Bhasthi in London, recognizing both author and translator for their literary achievement.