CHENNAI — Global interest in literature written in Kannada and other Indian regional languages is likely to rise significantly following this year’s International Booker Prize win for the English translation of Banu Mushtaq’s “Heart Lamp,” according to translator Deepa Bhasthi.
“Heart Lamp” — a collection of 12 stories originally published in Kannada between 1990 and 2023 — was the only work on the shortlist that was not a novel and was not expected to win the award, presented in London on May 20, despite warm notices from critics.