Who is Banu Mushtaq? First Kannada author to win International Booker Prize 2025

Banu Mushtaq, a 77-year-old writer and activist from Karnataka, has made history as the first Kannada author to win the International Booker Prize. Her short story collection Heart Lamp, translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, was announced the winner at the Tate Modern in London. The honour marks only the second time an Indian book has claimed this global recognition.

Speaking to The Times of India after the award, Mushtaq said, “This feels like a thousand fireflies lighting a single sky – brief, brilliant and utterly collective.” She called the moment “electrifying” and described the win not as individual glory but as “a recognition of teamwork.” She added, “This shows the true potential of Kannada language and literature.”

Chair of the judging panel Max Porter praised Heart Lamp as “something genuinely new for English readers,” noting its “radical translation” and “vibrant, uplifting narratives” rooted in Kannada culture but resonant across global contexts. It is the first short story collection to receive this honour.

Despite her newfound global recognition, Mushtaq insisted, “My writing will remain the same.” Reflecting on her long journey, she added, “From travelling in bullock carts to standing on this global stage – it’s surreal.”

A voice shaped by resistance

Banu Mushtaq’s journey into literature began in her childhood. She wrote her first short story while still in middle school. Though she started early, her work only found public recognition at 26, when Prajamata, a popular Kannada magazine, published one of her stories.

Raised in a large Muslim family, Mushtaq credits her father for supporting her fiercely, especially when she resisted the strict rules of her school. This early encouragement helped shape a fearless voice that would go on to challenge social norms.

In her own life, Mushtaq defied expectations by marrying a man of her choice. She later pursued a career in law and journalism, using both platforms to advocate for women’s rights and question discriminatory practices. Her fiction, she says, “reflects how religion, society and politics demand unquestioning obedience from women and, in the process, inflict cruelty upon them.”

A literature of protest

Mushtaq’s writing is deeply influenced by the Bandaya Sahitya movement, a literary protest movement in Karnataka that challenged caste and class hierarchies. She travelled across states, engaging directly with marginalised communities. These lived experiences sharpened the empathy and defiance that underpin her work.

Her fiction—layered with themes of reproductive rights, faith, caste, and power—emerges not from abstraction but from a tangible, collective resistance.

Beyond Heart Lamp, Mushtaq has authored six short story collections, a novel, an essay collection, and a volume of poetry. Her early stories were compiled in 2013 under the title Haseena Matthu Ithara Kathegalu. Her latest compilation, Hennu Haddina Swayamvara, was published in 2023.

Her contributions to Kannada literature have earned her several accolades, including awards from the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and the Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award.

Even as her name travels across continents, Mushtaq remains grounded. She sees the International Booker not as a personal triumph but as a step forward for Kannada literature on the world stage. As she put it: “The writing will stay rooted. The audience may be wider, but the voice will remain mine.”