Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp, a powerful collection of short stories about Muslim and Dalit women in Karnataka, has made history as the first Kannada book to win the International Booker Prize. Written over 30 years and translated by Deepa Bhasthi, the book is lauded for its raw, emotionally layered portrayal of gender, faith, marriage, and identity. It’s the only short story collection nominated this year and also won the English PEN Translates award. The translation, rich with colloquial Indianness, preserves the lyrical soul of the original. Stories like Red Lungi and Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal tackle religious patriarchy, heartbreak, and the cost of domestic duty with biting insight and quiet rebellion.
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