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Context:

International Booker Prize-winning Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq highlights quiet revolutions and empathetic storytelling from Kannada literature.

International Booker Prize

It is a literary award given annually to the best work of fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. It recognizes both the author and translator equally, splitting the £50,000 prize money between them.

It is open to novels or short-story collections from any language, provided they are translated into English.

History and Evolution

• 2005–2015: Initially called the Man Booker International Prize, it was a biennial award for a writer’s lifetime achievement.  
• 2016 Onwards: Reformed to an annual prize for a single translated book. The first winner under this format was South Korean author Han Kang’s The Vegetarian.
• Name Change: In 2019, it was renamed the International Booker Prize after the Booker Prize Foundation’s sponsor shifted to Crankstart.

2025 Winner: Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq 

• "Heart Lamp" is a collection of 12 short stories written over 30 years by Banu Mushtaq.
• The stories focus on the lives of Muslim women in southern India, highlighting their struggles with patriarchy, caste oppression, and religious conservatism.
• It is the first Kannada-language book to win the prize. Book translated in English by Deepa Bhasthi (first Indian translator to win). 

Who is Banu Mushtaq?

• Born in 1948 in Karnataka, Mushtaq is a lawyer, journalist, and women’s rights activist.
• She writes in Kannada and belongs to the Bandaya Sahitya ("Rebel Literature") movement, which critiques caste and patriarchy.
• Fought for women’s right to pray in mosques, faced threats, and survived an attack for her views.
• Draws inspiration from real-life women who sought her legal help. 

Source: 

INDIAN EXPRESS