A Kannada anthology of short stories just won the International Booker Prize 2025

Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq has been awarded the prestigious International Booker Prize 2025 for her powerful short fiction collection Heart Lamp, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. The book, published by Penguin, brings together stories written over three decades, each exploring the inner worlds and quiet struggles of ordinary Muslim women living in South India.

Stories of silence, struggle, and survival

The stories in Heart Lamp are rooted in domestic realities—set in kitchens, bedrooms, and prayer spaces—offering intimate portrayals of how systemic misogyny seeps into everyday life. The narrative is grounded in lived experience and highlights the emotional and physical toll exacted on women who are often expected to conform silently to social and religious expectations. One story follows a woman on the brink of taking her life, who is pulled back by a moment of tenderness from her daughter; another features a woman forced to endure physical pain from high heels insisted upon by her controlling husband. These vignettes tend to reflect broader societal patterns through deeply personal moments.

A celebrated voice and a landmark translation

Mushtaq, who is also a practising lawyer and women’s rights advocate based in Karnataka, is only the second Kannada writer to receive recognition from the Booker Prize committee, following UR Ananthamurthy’s nomination in 2013. Her writing draws heavily from both her professional experiences and everyday observations, portraying the complex intersections of gender, faith, caste, and power with stark honesty and compassion.

The collection was selected from a broad body of work by translator Deepa Bhasthi, who carefully curated the stories that appear in Heart Lamp. Known for her instinctive and immersive approach to translation, Bhasthi has previously translated notable Kannada works, including The Same Village, The Same Tree by Kota Shivarama Karanth and a short story collection by Kodagina Gouramma. This win marks a milestone in her career, making her the first Indian translator to win the International Booker Prize.

The Booker panel praised the collection for its originality, linguistic richness, and the way it brought fresh voices and narrative styles into English. The translation was particularly noted for capturing the socio-political depth of the original Kannada stories while offering a textured, pluralistic approach to language.

Mushtaq’s win reaffirms the growing global interest in Indian regional literature and the importance of translation in amplifying voices that are both culturally specific and universally resonant.

Also read: How Emily Henry makes rooted romances feel fantastical

Also read: A 'Clueless' TV series is coming to Peacock