Born in 1948, Banu Mushtaq is from the southern state of Karnataka, a writer in the Kannada language whose works have also been published in Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and, most recently, English.Heart Lamp, her collection translated from Kannada to English by Madikeri-based translator Deepa Bhasthi won this prestigious prize.
The award was announced at a ceremony held at London’s Tate Modern. Author Max Porter, who chaired the 2025 judging panel, revealed Heart Lamp as the winner — notably the first short story collection to receive this honour.
The stories explore themes such as women’s experiences, reproductive rights, faith, caste, power structures, and oppression.
