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A MASS CIRCUMCISION AND MORE
A ‘Historic’ Win for India and Its Writers
Why Banu Mushtaq deserved her major book award for stories about a long-overlooked group of women
My journalist’s skepticism kicks in whenever I hear a book praised as “historic” or a “triumph.” As a former judge for the National Book Critics Circle Awards, I’ve attended too many literary-awards ceremonies where people have described the honored books in over-the-top terms others might save for the discovery of a new continent.
So I went on red alert when that seemed to be happening last week after Banu Mushtaq won the International Booker Prize, a £50,000 award for a translated work of fiction, for her Heart Lamp, a collection of 12 short stories about beleaguered Muslim women in southern India.
The Press Trust of India, the country’s largest news agency, called Mustaq’s victory “a historic moment for Indian literature.” The BBC, New Delhi Television, and other major news organizations spoke of her honor in similarly epochal terms.
No less striking was that, amid recent tensions between Hindus and Muslims, the award drew praise from both Hindu and Muslim media. The Hindu said Mushtaq had “scripted history” while the Indian Muslims Facebook page exulted…
