Irish writer wins 2023 Booker Prize with novel "Prophet Song"

According to The Guardian, Irish writer Paul Lynch won the 2023 Booker Prize worth £50,000 (more than 1.5 billion VND ) with his fifth novel, Prophet Song , on November 27 ( Hanoi time).

The book was described by jury chairman Esi Edugyan as an "honest and heartbreaking" novel that "engages the social and political uncertainty of our time." The judges described it as "a truly magnificent work of fiction."

Paul Lynch at the announcement of the 2023 Booker Prize shortlist (Photo: Booker Prize Foundation).

In his acceptance speech, Paul Lynch said he was delighted to take the Booker Prize home.

"I had a special moment on holiday in Sicily (Italy) many years ago where I suddenly realised that I needed to write and that this was the direction my life was going to take. That day I decided to turn to writing and I'm so glad I did."

Prophet Song was written over a period of four years (since 2018), set in a time when Ireland was transitioning to a totalitarian regime, where a woman bravely stood up to protect her family from the influence of the political and social system.

Speaking about the book, Paul Lynch said he tried to achieve "radical empathy" from readers, trying to give them the experience of living in a collapsing society.

It was one of 163 novels submitted by publishers for this year's Booker Prize. It was shortlisted alongside five others by writers from Ireland, Britain, the United States and Canada.

Cover of the book "Prophet Song" (Photo: Booker Prize Foundation).

Paul Lynch, 46, was born in Limerick, grew up in County Donegal and now lives in Dublin. His other novels include: Beyond the Sea (2019), Grace (2019), The Black Snow (2013) and Red Sky in Morning (2013).

He is the fifth Irish author to win the Booker Prize, after Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright.

The Booker Prize, formerly the Man Booker Prize, is a British international literary award that recognizes "sustained creativity and development, and overall contribution to international fiction".

Since 2016, the prize has been awarded annually to a book translated into English, published in the UK and Ireland, with a prize money of £50,000 split equally between the author and translator of the winning work.

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