‘Heart Lamp’ written by Banu Mushtaq and translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi has won the International Booker Prize 2025. The winning book is the first collection of short stories to be awarded the prize.
Bestselling Booker Prize-longlisted author Max Porter, Chair of the 2025 judges, has announced the winner of the International Booker Prize 2025 at a ceremony at the Tate Modern in London on 20 May 2025.
International Booker Prize 2025 Winner:
The International Booker Prize 2025: ‘Heart Lamp’
- Written By: Banu Mushtaq
- Translated by: Deepa Bhasthi
- Published by: And Other Stories
- Original language: Kannada
Key Points:
- This is the first time the award has been given to a collection of short stories.
- Heart Lamp is the first book translated from Kannada, a language spoken by an estimated 65 million people, to be nominated for the prize.
- Deepa Bhasthi is the first Indian translator — and ninth female translator — to win the prize since it took on its current form in 2016. Banu Mushtaq is the sixth female author to be awarded the prize since then.
- Banu Mushtaq becomes the second Indian author to win the International Booker Prize after Geetanjali Shree in 2022.
- Sheffield-based independent publisher ‘And Other Stories’ wins the prize for the first time.
About Writer and Translator:
- Banu Mushtaq is a writer, activist and lawyer in the state of Karnataka, southern India.
- Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and literary translator based in Kodagu, southern India
Prize Money:
- The £50,000 prize is split equally between author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi, giving each equal recognition.
About Book ‘Heart Lamp':
» Written between 1990 and 2023, Heart Lamp’s 12 stories chronicle the lives of women and girls in patriarchal communities in southern India.
- In 12 stories, Banu Mushtaq exquisitely captures the everyday lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India.
International Booker Prize 2025: Shortlist
- ‘A Leopard-Skin Hat’ – Written By Anne Serre, Translated from French by Mark Hutchinson
- ‘Heart Lamp’ – (Winner)
- ‘Perfection’ – Written By Vincenzo Latronico, Translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes
- ‘Under the Eye of the Big Bird’ – Written By Hiromi Kawakami, Translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda
- ‘Small Boat’ – Written By Vincent Delecroix, Translated from French by Helen Stevenson
- ‘On the Calculation of Volume I’ – Written By Solvej Balle, Translated from Danish by Barbara J. Haveland
» In addition, the shortlisted authors and translators each receive £2,500.
About International Booker Prize:
- International Booker Prize is the world’s most influential award for translated fiction.
- The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for the finest single work of fiction from around the world which has been translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland.
- The International Booker Prize, formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize, was first awarded in 2005.
- The International Booker Prize recognises the vital work of translation, with the £50,000 prize money divided equally between the author and the translator.