Who Is Banu Mushtaq? The Kannada Author Behind ‘Heart Lamp’ That Just Lit Up the Booker Prize Stage

In a landmark moment for Indian literature, a Hassan-based Kannada writer has won the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025 for her short story collection Heart Lamp.

This is the first time ever that a short story collection has bagged the coveted award, marking a proud moment for regional Indian writing on the global stage.

Heart Lamp was originally written in Kannada and beautifully translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, a translator and writer based in Madikeri.

Who is Banu Mushtaq? Meet the Kannada Voice Behind 'Heart Lamp' That Just Made Booker History

Banu Mushtaq, a 77-year-old writer, lawyer, and activist from Karnataka, has made literary history by becoming the first Kannada author to win the 2025 International Booker Prize. She shares the honour  and the £50,000 prize money with translator Deepa Bhasthi, marking another milestone. Heart Lamp is the first-ever short story collection to win the coveted international award.

Speaking at the award ceremony held at London’s Tate Modern, Mushtaq described the moment as “a thousand fireflies lighting a single sky — brief, brilliant and utterly collective.” She added, “This is not just my victory, but a chorus of voices often left unheard.”

From the Margins to the Main Stage

Mushtaq’s prize-winning collection, Heart Lamp, features 12 short stories written over 30 years — from 1990 to 2023 — offering an intimate and powerful lens into the lives of Muslim women in Karnataka. The Booker Prize jury praised the work for its emotional depth and its portrayal of people living on the margins, calling the stories “vivid, morally resonant, and deeply humane.”

Who is Banu Mushtaq?

According to her profile on the Booker Prize website, Mushtaq began her literary journey in the progressive protest movements of the 1970s and 1980s. Over her career, she has written six short story collections, one novel, essays, and poetry — all in Kannada. Her work has already received accolades like the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.

This Booker win is particularly special because it is the first full-length English translation of her work. Translator Deepa Bhasthi, based in Madikeri, played a crucial role in bringing Heart Lamp to a global audience. Previously, Mushtaq's works had been translated into Urdu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.

The International Booker Prize jury praised the work for its emotional depth, cultural richness, and literary innovation.

This historic win not only celebrates the writer's storytelling but also highlights the power of translation in bringing regional voices to international readers.