Booker Prize for Banu Mushtaq

Blitz Bureau

INDIAN writer-lawyer-activist Banu Mushtaq has won the prestigious International Booker prize for the short story anthology, ‘Heart Lamp’.

The award was announced at a ceremony held at London’s Tate Modern on May 20. The prize was jointly awarded to Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi, whose English rendition brought the stories to a global audience. This is the first full-length translation of Mushtaq’s work.

‘Heart Lamp’ is the first book written in the Kannada language to win the prestigious prize. The book dwells on the hardships of Muslim women of Southern India. The book features 13 short stories written over three decades from 1990 to 2023. She began writing while in school and married a man of her choice. Her stream of thought and stories of the resilience of Muslim women angered the fundamental elements.

Even as Mushtaq faced fatwah and attacks, she continued to raise her voice for Muslim women. Mushtaq described the honour as a victory for diversity after collecting the award. Her book was shortlisted among six worldwide titles. According to the Booker Prize Foundation, Mushtaq is a prolific author with six short-story collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a volume of poetry to her credit. She is also the recipient of several notable literary accolades, including the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.

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