Hello Gentle Reader,
This years International Booker Prize winner is Banu Mushtaq with her short story collection “Heart Lamp.” This is the first time the International Booker Prize has been awarded to a short story collection. “Heart Lamp,” is comprised of twelve stories selected from over 50 stories housed in six collections, written over the past 30 years. All of those stories were translated from Banu Mushtaq’s native Kannada which is the official language of Karnataka, a south western state of India. The stories of “Heart Lamp,” chronicle the lives of women living in patriarchal society. Of all the shortlisted titles, “Heart Lamp,” was seen as a worthy but dark horse contender. Many wrote off its chances of receiving the award because it was a short story collection, which as a form had not been honoured yet. As for the judges, according to the chair Max Porter, they deliberated for six hours, arguing before unanimously agreeing on “Heart Lamp.” Porter, also praised the collection of stories for being special in the terms of its politics, and while her quickly amended his statement to steer it away from being viewed within the lens of an activist literature, or the judges purposefully endorsing any book which supports their sociopolitical attitudes, sympathies, or causes; it inevitably exposes what made this year’s longlist and shortlist ultimately disappointing.
This year’s judges appeared to have inflected social justice commitments to their evaluations. Both the longlist and shortlist were coated in a veneer of aggrandizing social commentary over purely literary evaluation. While many congratulations are in order for Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi, whose translation of the stories has gained special praise, and the winning work “Heart Lamp,” which is exceptional to having been the first short story collection to win the award.
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
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