Banu Mushtaq created history by winning the Booker Prize, know what in the heart lamp
New Delhi
Indian writer, lawyer and activist Banu Mushtaq has won the International Booker Prize for his book 'Heart Lamp'. Banu Mushtaq is a resident of Karnataka Keer. Banu Mushtaq has received the prestigious Booker Prize of the year 2025 for his Kannada story collection heart lamp.
This is the first time a book written in Kannada language has received a Booker Prize. He created history by winning this book. Deepa Bhatshi translated this book from Kannada into English.
When and where the award was announced?
Banu Mushtaq, a lawyer and journalist by profession, has made his mark as a storyteller, poet, novelist and social worker. The award was announced at a ceremony held at Tate Modern, London, 20 May.
There is a collection of 12 stories
Explain that the writer Max Porter, who presided over the jury of 2025, declared Heart Lamp as the winner. Porter said, "Heart lamp 'is something new for English readers after many years. It challenges our understanding of translation and improves it to do it well." Banu Mushtaq is a collection of his 12 short stories. It took them about 30 years to write this book.
After winning the award, Banu Mushtaq told the people sitting there, Kannada needs to be presented more for the global audience. There is a need to bring more and more Kannada literature for readers around the world.
What is in heart lamp
Heart lamps have 12 stories. These stories were written between 1990 and 2023. These are stories of courage, resistance, humor and sister -in -law of common women living in patriarchal South Indian communities. These stories are inspired by the oral traditions of Kannada culture.
Heart Lamp- Stories and their effects
The judges described the heart lamp as' humorous, vibrant, colloquial language, poignant and sharp. Max Porter, president of the Judges of International Booker Prize 2025, called it 'something new for English readers'. He described the translation of the book as 'a radical translation'. He said that this translation changes language and creates new forms in English. It challenges and enhances the understanding of translation.
Porter further said, 'This was the book that the judges liked by reading for the first time. It was a pleasure to hear the appreciation of these stories from different attitude of the jury. He spoke about the stories on women's experiences, reproductive rights, faith, caste, power structures and oppression.
What did Banu Mushtaq say
Banu Mushtaq himself said, 'This book is born of the belief that no story is small, that every thread has its own importance in the fabric of human experience.' He considered the power to connect people of literature. He said that in a world that often tries to divide us, literature is one of the holy places where we can live in each other's minds, even if it is only right for some pages.
This is the second Indian award since 2022. That year Gitanjali Shri and Daisy Rockwell received the award for the Tomb of Sand. It was the first Hindi novel to win the award. Perumal Murugan's Tamil novel Paire was on a long list in 2023.