Bengaluru, Karnataka: Renowned writer and activist Banu Mushtaq has made history with her short story collection, Heart Lamp, being the first-ever Kannada work to be longlisted for the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025. Translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, Heart Lamp is among the 13 debut nominations for this year’s longlist.
Chosen among 13 worldwide titles, Mushtaq’s work appealed to the judges for its “witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating” style of capturing portraits of family and community tensions. It marks the first time a Kannada title has made it to the long-list of the GBP 50,000 literary prize—divided between the author and translator.
Heart Lamp, a collection of 12 compelling short stories published between 1990 and 2023, provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of women and girls from Muslim communities in southern India. Through its narratives, the collection tackles complex social issues such as caste, class, and religious oppression, while maintaining a dry yet gentle humor. The International Booker Prize judges lauded the collection for its fearless storytelling, emphasizing that the stories “speak truth to power” and illuminate societal injustices.
Banu Mushtaq, a respected writer, activist, and lawyer from Karnataka, has been a major voice in progressive Kannada literature since the 1970s. Her body of work has earned her numerous honors, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.
Deepa Bhasthi, an accomplished writer and literary translator from Kodagu, expressed pride in the recognition of Heart Lamp. She emphasized that the book’s themes are universal and resonate beyond regional boundaries, highlighting the power of translation in bringing local literature to a global audience.
The International Booker Prize celebrates the finest translated fiction from around the world. The shortlist will be announced on April 8, 2025, and the final winner will be revealed on May 20, 2025, at London’s Tate Modern. Should Heart Lamp advance to the shortlist or win the award, it will mark a groundbreaking achievement for Kannada literature on the international stage. The announcement of the 2025 winning title will take place on May 20 at Tate Modern in London, with the winning author receiving GBP 25,000 and the translator or translators dividing the other half of GBP 25,000.
