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Paul Lynch of Ireland Wins the Booker Prize in 2023 with Prophet Song

Explore the dystopian masterpiece 'Prophet Song' by Paul Lynch, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize. A gripping narrative set in Dublin, tackling dictatorship and fading democratic principles.
on Nov 27, 2023

Prophet Song, a dystopian depiction of Ireland in the grip of dictatorship, has won the 2023 Booker Prize.

It was written by Ireland's Paul Lynch, 46, who received the coveted fiction writing prize for the first time.

It is set in Dublin and chronicles the narrative of a family dealing with a horrifying new world in which the democratic principles they have grown accustomed to begin to fade.
Lynch stated that the Syrian war and refugee issue inspired Prophet Song.

Lynch said he was carrying the Booker back to Ireland with "immense pleasure" after winning the trophy on stage at the award event in Old Billingsgate, London.

The novel was "not an easy book to write," according to the author, who was born in Limerick and now resides in Dublin.

When asked about the recent riots and violence in Dublin, Lynch said he was "amazed" by what happened and that "we should take it as a warning."

However, he stated that he was not a "political novelist" and that his book was completed 18 months ago.

He stated that he planned to use some of his £50,000 prize money to pay off his mortgage.
Lynch's fifth novel took him four years to complete. He began writing it shortly before his son was born, and by the time he completed, his son could ride a bike.

According to head judge Esi Edugyan, the panel "wanted a winning novel that could speak to the immediate moment while also having the potential to outlast it."

She went on to say: "In these troubled times, we sought a novel with a guiding vision - a book to remind us that we are more than ourselves, to remind us of all that is worth saving."

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe spoke before the prize was announced about how much reading benefited her when she was imprisoned in Iran.

She claimed that being able to read novels from the prison's hidden library "transformed" her life and transported her to a "different world."

The other candidates were: