London, May 22 – Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi made history by winning the International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp, the first Kannada work and first short story collection to receive the prestigious award.
The book, originally written in Kannada as Hridaya Deepa, is a collection of 12 short stories exploring the lives of women in patriarchal communities in southern India. The stories tackle themes such as reproductive rights, gender roles, and social oppression.
Accepting the award at London’s Tate Modern, Mushtaq said, “This moment feels like a thousand fireflies lighting up a single sky — brief, brilliant, and utterly collective.” She added that the win affirms the power of embracing diversity and uplifting marginalized voices.
The GBP 50,000 prize is shared between the author and the translator.