This is the first short story collection to be awarded the prestigious prize, writes BBC. In twelve stories, written between 1990 and 2023, Mushtaq portrays Muslim women's lives in southern India, and the quiet strength required just to live on.
This book was born out of the conviction that no story is ever small; that in the tapestry of human experience, every thread bears the weight of the whole, said Mushtaq when she received the prize, and added:
In a world that often attempts to divide us, literature remains one of the last sacred spaces where we can live in each other's minds, if only for a few pages.
The jury praises her "astonishing portraits of survival and resilience". The stories are written in Kannada, the official language of the Indian state of Karnataka. They have been selected and translated by Deepa Bhasthi, who also shares the prize money of approximately 640,000 kronor.
Among this year's nominees were, among others, Danish Solvej Balle, with the novel "On the calculation of scope".
