Banu Mushtaq won the International Booker Prize for her book 'Heart Lamp,' highlighting issues facing women in Karnataka, India. Sharing the award with translator Deepa Bhasthi, she emphasizes her focus on marginalized voices, especially women's experiences with domestic violence and social struggles. At 77, Mushtaq is the oldest winner of this award, which includes firsts for Kannada literature. Her stories resonate universally, capturing common human experiences despite their specific cultural context. Through her work as a lawyer and activist, she channels real-life stories into her narratives.
Human beings and their basic nature are the same everywhere...The theme is woman, the theme is marginalised people...to be a voice to the voiceless community.
It's a year of firsts for the International Booker: this is the first time that a collection of stories has won; it's the first winner from the Kannada language.
Even today [domestic violence] starts from the home itself. But the stories have wider application too.
The ideas and stories are absolutely universal...they are the fields where I sow the seeds of my stories.
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