**Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi Win International Booker Prize for “Heart Lamp”**
Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi have been awarded the prestigious International Booker Prize for their remarkable work, “Heart Lamp.” This collection features 12 short stories that span over three decades, highlighting the everyday lives and challenges faced by women in southern India. The announcement was made by Max Porter, a bestselling author and chair of the five-member voting panel, during a ceremony held at London’s Tate Modern.
This year marks a significant milestone as it is the first time the International Booker Prize has been awarded to a collection of short stories. Deepa Bhasthi has made history as the first Indian translator and the ninth female translator to receive this honor since the prize was restructured in 2016. Meanwhile, Mushtaq becomes the sixth female author to be recognized with this award in the same timeframe.
“Heart Lamp,” originally written in Kannada—a language spoken by approximately 65 million people in southern India—has been praised for its “radical” translation. Porter expressed his delight in witnessing the jury’s growing appreciation for the stories, which delve into themes of women’s lives, reproductive rights, faith, caste, power, and oppression. He noted, “These beautiful, busy, life-affirming stories rise from Kannada, interspersed with the extraordinary socio-political richness of other languages and dialects.”
The collection, which includes stories written between 1990 and 2023, was carefully curated by Bhasthi to maintain the multilingual essence of southern India. Mushtaq, who is also a lawyer and activist, shared during a reading event that her stories reflect the societal pressures on women, illustrating how religion, society, and politics often demand unquestioning obedience, leading to inhumane treatment and subordination.
The International Booker Prize comes with a monetary award of £50,000 (approximately $66,000), which will be equally divided between the author and translator, both of whom will also receive a trophy. This annual award is presented alongside the Booker Prize for English-language fiction, which will be announced later in the fall.
**FAQ**
*What is the significance of the International Booker Prize?*
The International Booker Prize recognizes outstanding works of fiction translated into English, celebrating the art of translation and promoting international literature.
