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Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, a powerful collection of 12 short stories originally written in Kannada, has been shortlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize—marking a groundbreaking moment for Kannada literature on the global literary scene.
Translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, Heart Lamp delves deep into the experiences of Muslim and Dalit women in southern India. Spanning over three decades (1990–2023), the stories confront entrenched social issues such as patriarchy, caste discrimination, religious intolerance, and gender-based violence. Mushtaq weaves local dialects, folk traditions, and religious motifs into her narratives, creating a richly textured portrayal of marginalized lives.
Highlights from the Collection
In Holy Cow, Mushtaq captures the fear surrounding interfaith love amid a backdrop of growing religious tensions.
Noorah’s House examines how even architecture can mirror and impose gendered boundaries.
The Portrait reflects the emotional erasure faced by a widow forgotten by her own family.
Child Bride gives voice to a young girl questioning the marriage ritual that stole her innocence.
The stories—ranging from raw and unflinching to lyrical and reflective—highlight Mushtaq’s prowess as both a writer and an activist, drawing inspiration from her legal career and her lifelong advocacy for women’s rights in Karnataka.
A Landmark for Kannada Literature
The Booker Prize panel lauded Heart Lamp as “witty, vivid, colloquial, moving, and excoriating,” commending its portrayal of “family, community, and the cost of resistance.”Translator Deepa Bhasthi emphasized the broader impact: “This isn’t just recognition for one book. It’s recognition for a whole language, and a literary tradition that has often been overlooked.”
In response to the international recognition, Banu Mushtaq said, “I’m happy. But I need to write more on the inequalities in society. My duty is writing against inequality of all kinds.”
The winner of the £50,000 International Booker Prize—divided equally between the author and translator—will be revealed on May 20, 2025, at London’s Tate Modern.
Heart Lamp is published by Penguin Random House India and is currently available in major bookstores and online retailers.
