Banu Mushtaq Becomes First Kannada Author to Win International Booker for ‘Heart Lamp

Indian writer, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq has made literary history by becoming the first Kannada-language author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize.

Her winning work, Heart Lamp, is also the first short story anthology to claim the award.

Celebrating the Voices of Survival and Resilience

Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 short stories written by Mushtaq between 1990 and 2023. These stories poignantly portray the lives and struggles of Muslim women in southern India.

Translated from Kannada to English by Deepa Bhasthi, the anthology has been lauded by the prize judges for presenting “astonishing portraits of survival and resilience.”

Bhasthi, who now shares the £50,000 prize with Mushtaq, became the first Indian translator to win the International Booker. She expressed hope that this win would encourage more translations from and into Kannada and other South Asian languages.

A Powerful Acceptance Speech

In her acceptance speech, Mushtaq shared her heartfelt gratitude. “This book was born from the belief that no story is ever small; that in the tapestry of human experience, every thread holds the weight of the whole,” she said.

She added, “In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the last sacred spaces where we can live inside each other’s minds, if only for a few pages.”

A Milestone for Regional Indian Literature

Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-chief of Penguin India, emphasized the importance of the win for regional literature.

“Following Tomb of Sand’s landmark win in 2022, Heart Lamp’s triumph this year is a powerful reminder that literature in India’s many languages demands our full attention. We owe it our ears,” she told the BBC.

The Life Behind the Stories

Mushtaq’s own life experiences deeply influence her writing. Raised in a Muslim neighborhood in Karnataka, she studied in both Urdu and Kannada.

Her father enrolled her in a Kannada-medium convent school, and she became fluent in the language that would later define her literary career.

Though she began writing while still in school, her first short story was published during a tumultuous period in her life, following a love marriage at the age of 26.

In several interviews, she has openly spoken about the conflict and emotional distress she faced in her early married years, including suffering from postpartum depression and feeling confined to a domestic role.

In a particularly harrowing moment, she considered self-immolation, only to be stopped by her husband. “He pleaded with me, placing our baby at my feet saying, ‘Don’t abandon us’,” she recalled in an interview with The Week.

Themes of Resistance and Strength

Mushtaq’s stories reflect her own journey through adversity. According to The Indian Express, her characters “endure, negotiate, and occasionally push back — not in ways that claim headlines, but in ways that matter to their lives.”

Through her writing, Mushtaq challenges the marginalization of Muslim women in Indian literature, avoiding clichés and highlighting authentic experiences of resilience.

A Life of Writing, Journalism, and Activism

In addition to writing, Mushtaq worked as a reporter for a local tabloid and was actively involved in the Bandaya movement, which used literature to challenge social and economic injustice. She later pursued a legal career to support her family.

Over the years, she has published six short story collections, a novel, and an essay collection. Despite her literary success, she has also faced backlash.

In 2000, she received threats and even survived an attempted knife attack after publicly supporting women’s right to pray in mosques.

“I have consistently challenged chauvinistic religious interpretations,” she told The Week. “These issues are central to my writing even now.”

A Surge in Popularity

Following the Booker win, bookstores across Bengaluru have seen a surge in sales of Heart Lamp. Blossom Book House on Church Street sold over 55 copies within 24 hours, with additional copies sold the next day.

Akrithi Books and Sapna Book House also reported high demand, with many buyers gifting the book to others.

There’s also renewed interest in Mushtaq’s earlier works. Readers are exploring her entire body of work, showing a growing appreciation for her storytelling.

“I was not aware of Banu Mushtaq before the Booker Prize was announced. Once it was, I browsed more about her works and bought a copy of Heart Lamp. I plan to read her other works too,” said Nikitha Shivesh, a reader from Basavanagudi.

Continued Recognition and Impact

Mushtaq’s Kannada anthology, Haseena, is a compilation of all her short stories and the original version of Heart Lamp. In 2024, Haseena and Other Stories won the PEN Translation Prize.

With her Booker win, Banu Mushtaq’s contribution to Indian literature stands not only as a personal triumph but as a beacon for regional voices across the country.