Prophet Song brings Booker Prize to writer Paul Lynch

SGGPO 11/27/2023 12:13 PM

The Booker Prize ceremony was held solemnly in London on the evening of November 26. Irish writer Paul Lynch won the prize worth 50,000 pounds (equivalent to 63,000 USD) for his novel Prophet Song .

Irish writer Paul Lynch. Photo: AP

Prophet Song was one of 163 novels nominated by publishers for this year’s Booker Prize. It was shortlisted alongside five other works by writers from Ireland, the UK, the US and Canada. Esi Edugyan, chair of the 2023 Booker Prize jury, described the work as “a powerful and courageous narrative”, with 46-year-old novelist Paul Lynch showing “a remarkable skill in language that will leave readers in awe as they read it”.

Prophet Song tells the story of a fictional Ireland on the brink of war, as a woman bravely stands up to protect her family from the influence of the political and social system.

Written over a period of four years (since 2018), Prophet Song is Paul Lynch’s fifth novel. Speaking about the book, he said he tried to achieve “radical empathy” from readers, trying to give them the experience of living in a collapsing society.

"I spent four years writing the novel, living through curfews and police checks, and dealing with the brain fog and fatigue of long-term Covid-19," author Paul Lynch shared.

Established in 1969, the Booker is an annual prize for English-language novels published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is widely regarded as a springboard for writers to become famous. Past winners of the Booker include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel.

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

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/prophet-song-mang-lai-giai-booker-cho-nha-van-paul-lynch-post715912.html