Heart Lamp: Winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize

‘One of Karnataka’s leading progressive writers.’ New Age Islam

‘Exploring the lives of those often on the periphery of society, these vivid stories hold immense emotional and moral weight’

Recognition by a wider audience for this major literary voice is long overdue.

‘Mushtaq makes her English-language debut with this virtuosic collection … The stories are united by a keen eye for the interplay between their characters’ social circumstances and inner lives, as religious authority and economic class exert their influence. It’s an excellent introduction to an author of rare talent.’

‘This selection of Mushtaq’s stories about Muslim girls and women in southern India, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, is a finalist for this year’s International Booker Prize. Mushtaq is a journalist, lawyer and women’s rights activist, and these fictional stories span more than 30 years of her career as an author.’

‘These twelve stories, selected by her translator Deepa Bhasthi, offer affecting portraits of family and community. Specifically, they illuminate the lives of Muslim and Dalit women and children in southern India … Mushtaq’s compassion and dark humour give texture to her stories. These deceptively simple tales decry the subjugation of women while celebrating their resilience. Bhasthi’s nuanced translation retains several Kannada, Urdu and Arabic words, eloquently conveying the language’s enduring tradition of oral storytelling.’

‘Longlisted for the 2025 International Booker, this excellent collection of short stories by the writer, activist, and lawyer Banu Mushtaq depicts the ordinary lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. Particular highlights for me included the opening story to the collection, “Stone Slabs for Shaista Mahal,” exploring the disposable nature of wifedom under patriarchy, and “A Decision of the Heart,” in which a man decides to marry off his widowed mother. Deepa Bhasthi’s translator’s note, in which she delves into the process of translating from the Kannada language, offers some interesting insights into how language structures everyday relationships, too.’

Banu Mushtaq is a writer, social activist and lawyer in the state of Karnataka, southern India.

Deepa Bhasthi is a writer and literary translator based in Kodagu, southern India. She translates from Kannada and also publishes essays and cultural criticism.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.