Overview

• Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasti were awarded the 2025 International Booker Prize for 'Heart Lamp', a collection of twelve short stories written between 1990 and 2023.
• This marks the first time in the prize's history that a short story collection has been recognized, highlighting the evolving appreciation for diverse literary forms.
• The stories, originally written in Kannada and translated into English by Bhasti, explore the experiences of women in patriarchal South Indian societies.
• Mushtaq, a 77-year-old women’s rights activist, drew inspiration from the struggles and resilience of women who sought her help over the decades.
• The £50,000 prize was presented at the Tate Modern Gallery in London, with jury chair Max Porter praising the work as a groundbreaking and vivid contribution to global literature.