Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada (卡纳达语) by Deepa Bhasthi, is the 2025 winner of the International Booker Prize, one of the world’s most important awards for translated fiction. The winning book, the first collection of short stories to be awarded the prize, was announced at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern on Tuesday, 20th May 2025. The £50,000 prize will be shared equally between the author and the translator.
The 12 stories in Heart Lamp, written between 1990 and 2023, focus on the lives of women and girls in southern India. Mushtaq, a lawyer and women’s rights activist, was inspired by the real-life struggles of women who came to her for help. With this win, Mushtaq becomes the second Indian author to win the International Booker Prize, following Geetanjali Shree in 2022.
Judges praised the book for its fresh style and creative translation. Max Porter, the International Booker Prize 2025 Chair of judges, called it “a radical translation that challenges how we think about language.” The stories mix Kannada with local dialects and English, creating a unique voice that explores themes like women’s rights and social justice (公平). “We loved this book from the start,” Porter added.
Fiammetta Rocco, a prize organizer, highlighted the growing global interest in translated fiction: “Younger readers are connecting with stories from different cultures. Translation helps bridge divides. Next year the prize celebrates ten years in its current form, hoping to inspire more people to explore international literature.”
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