Heart Lamp, written by Banu Mushtaq and translated by Deepa Bhasthi, has been named the winner of the International Booker Prize 2025. The collection of twelve stories examines the lives of women and girls in Muslim communities in southern India. It is the first collection of short stories to win the prize and the first book translated from Kannada to receive the award.
Each year, the International Booker Prize is awarded to a book translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. It is intended to recognise and value world-class fiction on a global basis.
In 2005, the International Booker Prize was awarded for the first time still under the title of the "Man Booker International Prize". Early winners include Ismail Kadare (2005), Chinua Achebe (2007), Alice Ann Munro (2009), Philip Milton Roth (2011), as well as Lydia Davis (2013) and László Krasznahorkai (2015). The aim of the prize is to encourage the reading of high quality fiction from around the world and also to appreciate the work of translators.
The prize is worth £50,000, which is shared equally between the author and the translator. Additionally, each shortlisted title receives £2,500.
International Booker Prize-winning books
