Irishman Paul Lynch's 'Prophet Song' Wins Booker Prize, Says 'This Was Not An Easy Book to Write'

Irish author Paul Lynch’s “Prophet Song” was named the winner of the Booker Prize 2023. At a ceremony held in London, the 46-year-old Irishman won for his novel presenting a dystopian vision of Ireland in the grips of totalitarianism, something the author describes as “an attempt at radical empathy”.

Set in Dublin, “Prophet Song” tells the story of a family grappling with a terrifying new world in which the democratic norms they are used to begin to disappear. “I was trying to see into the modern chaos. The unrest in Western democracies. The problem of Syria the implosion of an entire nation, the scale of its refugee crisis and the West’s indifference,” said Lynch, who won the GBP 50,000 literary award.

“Prophet Song” was the bookies’ favourite to win this year’s Booker Prize and makes Lynch the fifth Irish author to win the prestigious prize after Iris Murdoch, John Banville, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright. London-based Indian-origin author Chetna Maroo’s debut novel “Western Lane”, was also in the race.