Why Banu Mushtaq’s Novel Is Making Waves
The Indian literary world is glowing with excitement— Kannada author Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, (translated into English by Daisy Rockwell), has won the 2025 International Booker Prize. A hauntingly lyrical novel set in rural Karnataka, Heart Lamp is not just a triumph of language, but a stirring portrayal of love, memory, and resistance.
This win isn’t just a personal victory for Mushtaq—it marks a historic moment for Indian regional literature on a global stage. If you’re wondering why this title is grabbing international headlines, here’s everything you need to know about the Heart Lamp Booker Prize win and why the Heart Lamp book should be your next read.
Heart Lamp is not a traditional novel—it’s a moving collection of twelve short stories that centre on the everyday lives of Muslim women and girls in Karnataka. Written originally in Kannada between 1990 and 2023, Banu Mushtaq’s stories are rooted in patriarchal communities, yet they radiate with resistance, wit, and quiet courage.
Through vivid and varied characters across stories like Black Cobras, Be a Woman Once, Oh Lord!, and High-heeled Shoe, Mushtaq paints portraits of raw, unresolved emotion. These are stories of mothers, grandmothers, sparky daughters, buffoonish brothers, and silent husbands—each navigating grief, autonomy, faith, and survival.
What sets the Heart Lamp book apart is its refusal to stereotype. Muslim women are not presented as symbols, but as complex individuals shaped by and pushing against their realities. Faith, too, is handled with subtle honesty—not as sermon or saviour, but as something to be endured, questioned, or quietly defied.
Mushtaq’s prose, translated with utmost care to retain the regional sensitivities by Daisy Rockwell, pulses with spoken rhythm and emotional truth. These stories stay with you, quietly glowing like the lamp in the title.
A prominent voice in Kannada literature, Banu Mushtaq is no stranger to critical acclaim. Known for her feminist prose and quiet subversion, she has been writing for decades in the shadows of literary giants—until now. With Heart Lamp, Mushtaq becomes the first Indian woman writing in Kannada to win the Booker Prize, joining the ranks of global icons.
The Heart Lamp Booker Prize win is significant for three reasons:
- A Spotlight on Indian Regional Languages: It underscores the power of stories told in native tongues and the vital role of literary translation.
- Recognition of Women’s Voices: Mushtaq’s win adds to the growing recognition of women writers from the Global South.
- A Global Shift Toward Intimate, Localised Narratives: Heart Lamp proves that stories rooted in specific cultures can resonate universally.
Want to know who won last year? Revisit Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos »
If you’re curious about past winners and the evolution of the award, here’s a deep dive into The Booker Prize legacy.
Explore some of the famous winner of the Booker Prize in the past. Read Here
