The 77-year-old Indian writer, lawyer, and activist Banu Mushtaq has won the International Booker Prize with the story collection Heart Lamp. She is the first Kannada-language author to receive the prestigious prize for fiction translated into English.
Mushtaq receives a prize of 50,000 British pounds (59,330 euros), which she shares with her translator, Deepa Bhasthi.
Heart Lamp contains twelve stories previously published between 1990 and 2023. They depict daily life in Muslim communities in South India, with a focus on the experiences of women and girls.
Critics praised the collection for “its dry and gentle humor, witty, informal style, and sharp commentary on patriarchy, the caste system, and religious conservatism.”
There were six titles in the race for the prize. The other contenders were Solvej Balle, Vincent Delecroix, Hiromi Kawakami, Vincenzo Latronico, and Anne Serre.