The excitement around ‘Heart Lamp’, a short story collection by Hassan-based Kannada author Banu Mushtaq, continues to surge after it became the first Kannada work to win the International Booker Prize.
The Kannada version titled ‘Edeya Hanate’, which comprises the 12 stories featured in Heart Lamp, has turned into a publishing sensation. Released by Abhiruchi Prakashana on June 4, the book witnessed a phenomenal response — with 3,000 copies sold out by June 8.
Ganesh, the publisher, revealed that there’s a current demand for 20,000 copies of the book across Karnataka. “Readers have embraced it enthusiastically, both via online platforms and in physical bookstores,” he said. He added that ‘Edeya Hanate’ has garnered attention from all corners of the state, making it a truly rare literary moment for regional writing.
The 12 stories were earlier part of Mushtaq’s acclaimed collection ‘Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu’, which has also seen a renewed spike in interest. Ganesh shared that the intent behind releasing Edeya Hanate was to make the Booker-winning stories more accessible and spark wider curiosity about Mushtaq’s broader body of work.
“In the wake of the award, we acted quickly to publish these stories separately,” he said. At present, both ‘Edeya Hanate’ and ‘Haseena Mattu Itara Kathegalu’ are sold out, with reprints underway.
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