Author Banu Mushtaq Challenges the Dominance of Novels

Fast Summary

• Banu Mushtaq, winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize for Heart Lamp – Selected Stories, spoke at Mount Carmel College Foundation Day celebrations.
• She criticized the dominance of the novel, expressing her belief that short stories hold equal literary value and require unique mastery on a “small canvas.”
• Mushtaq emphasized her decision to translate her kannada stories into English to reach Western audiences and share experiences from Karnataka.
• Encouraging young writers, she advised them against waiting for approval or perfection, highlighting the importance of authentic observation and experience in writing.
• Mushtaq shared her struggles with early education shaped by religious expectations and inadequate schooling in urdu language but credited her father’s support for overcoming challenges.
• On addressing taboo topics such as sex, politics, and religion in her writing: “My writing is not just inventiveness.It is documentation,” she said.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Banu Mushtaq’s reflections deliver a powerful commentary on literature’s ability to transcend cultural barriers while standing firm against conventional biases. Her focus on short stories as a compelling form of expression challenges customary preferences in literary circles that prioritize novels over shorter forms.by choosing translation as a means of cross-cultural communication, Mushtaq underscores how regional voices can find global resonance when given access.

Her advice to budding writers highlights creativity rooted in lived experience rather than conformity-an empowering message especially for those navigating societal or systemic constraints. by unapologetically addressing controversial themes like sex and politics through her work under societal opposition, Mushtaq reinforces literature’s role as both an act of resistance and documentation. This approach aligns well with India’s evolving literary landscape where diverse narratives continue gaining recognition worldwide.Read more