Bengaluru: Renowned Kannada writer and activist Banu Mushtaq has been awarded the International Booker Prize, making her the fourth Indian author to receive this prestigious honor and the first-ever writer in Kannada to do so.
She received the award for her short story collection titled “Heart Lamp”. The award ceremony took place in London, where Banu Mushtaq received the prize alongside translator Deepa Bashti, who translated the work into English.
This win follows the recognition of Geetanjali Shree’s Hindi novel “Tomb of Sand” (translated from Ret Samadhi) in 2022, which was the first Hindi book to win the International Booker Prize.
Banu’s achievement is a landmark moment not only for Kannada literature but also for Indian regional language writing on the global stage.
