International Booker Win Marks New Dawn for Kannada Literature

In a historic win for Kannada literature, writer, activist, and lawyer Banu Mushtaq became the first-ever Kannada author to receive the prestigious International Booker Prize, awarded in a ceremony at the Tate Modern in London on Tuesday evening, 20 May.

Mushtaq’s acclaimed short story collection Heart Lamp, originally written in Kannada and translated into English by writer and researcher Deepa Bhasthi, was selected from a shortlist of six international titles. The book, celebrated for its poignant portrayal of family and community life, was praised by the judges for being “witty, vivid, colloquial, moving and excoriating.”

Accepting the award alongside her translator, Mushtaq called the win a “victory for diversity,” adding: “This book was born from the belief that no story is ever small, that in the tapestry of human experience every thread holds the weight of the whole.”

“In a world that often tries to divide us, literature remains one of the lost sacred spaces where we can live inside each other’s minds, if only for a few pages,” she said during her speech.

Translator Deepa Bhasthi, who rendered Hridaya Deepa into Heart Lamp, said: “What a beautiful win this is for my beautiful language,” highlighting the global recognition for Kannada literature.

A Landmark Moment for Kannada and Indian Literature

The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for the best work of long-form fiction or a short story collection translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland between May 2024 and April 2025. Mushtaq’s win is not only a personal triumph but a watershed moment for Kannada and regional Indian writing on the global stage.

Leaders, Authors Celebrate the Win

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lauded Mushtaq and Bhasthi, calling it a proud moment for all Kannadigas. In a post on X, he wrote:
“Heartiest congratulations to the proud Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq for winning the International Booker Prize for Literature. This is a time to celebrate Kannada, Kannadigas, and Karnataka.”

Praising Mushtaq’s commitment to values of harmony, secularism, and brotherhood, Siddaramaiah said she had “raised the flag of Kannada’s greatness at the international level and brought respect to us all.”

He also congratulated Deepa Bhasthi “on behalf of all Kannadigas” for her exceptional translation work.

Author and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor also joined in the celebrations, describing the win as “another triumph for Indian writing, a celebration of diversity & of the writer’s belief that ‘no story is ever too small’.”

The Other Finalists

The other shortlisted works for the International Booker Prize 2025 included:

• On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle (Danish), translated by Barbara J. Haveland

• Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (French), translated by Helen Stevenson

• Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami (Japanese), translated by Asa Yoneda

• Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico (Italian), translated by Sophie Hughes

• A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre (French), translated by Mark Hutchinson

Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp stood out for its literary craft and emotional depth, capturing the nuanced realities of life in Karnataka through stories that now resonate across borders.

Also Read: Geetanjali Shree Wins International Booker Prize for First Hindi Novel