LONDON – Indian author Bano Mottaq and translator Deeba Basti won the Booker International Fantasy Award on Tuesday for the “Heart Lesbage”, a collection of 12 short stories written for more than 30 years telling daily life and women’s conflicts in southern India.
The award was announced by the author, who extends to the best -selling Booker Award, Max Porter in his role as head of the five -member voting committee, at a party at TATE MODERN in London.
This is the first time that the award has been awarded to a set of short stories. Bhaasthi is the first Indian translator – and the ninth translator of females – wins the award since it took its current form in 2016. Mushtaq is the sixth store that won the award since then.
Stories were originally written in Kannada, which is speaking about 65 million people, especially in southern India. Porter praised the “radical” nature of translation, adding that “it was a pleasure” to listen to the evolving appreciation of the stories of the jury members.
Porter said: “These beautiful and busy stories that confirm life from Kanada are interspersed with the unusual social and political richness of other languages and dialects.” “She talks about a woman’s life, reproductive rights, faith, class, power and repression.”
The book, which defeated five final contestants, consists of written stories from 1990 to 2023. It was chosen and ingenuity by Bhazhath, who was keen to preserve the normal multi -language nature of southern India in its translation.
Mushtaq, a lawyer, activist and writer, told a short reading event on Sunday that the stories “revolve around women – how religion, society and politics require obedience, no doubt about that, and in doing this, it raises the inhuman cruelty to them, and turns them into subordinates.”
The prize funds with an area of 50,000 pounds ($ 66,000) are divided equally between the author and the translator. Each is served with the cup as well.
The Booker International Prize is awarded every year. It is run alongside the Booker Fantasy Award in English, which will be distributed in the fall.
