Irish writer Paul Lynch wins 2023 Booker Prize 

The Booker Prize is an annual literary award presented to the best work of fiction written in English and published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was first awarded in 1969 to P. H Newby for his novel Something to Answer For. This year, Irish writer Paul Lynch received the prize for his novel Prophet Song. 

The book is a dystopian novel, meaning that it takes place in a society where there is great suffering and injustice. The novel is set in a near-future version of Ireland, where the government has taken control of its citizens. It tells the story of Elish Stack who is trying to save her family from the evil dictatorship of the government. Paul Lynch spent four years writing this book and was inspired by the political unrest in Syria and its refugee crisis. 

The list of 13 nominated novels was released earlier, and the winner was finally announced on November 26th. Canadian novelist, Esi Edugyan was one of the judges for this year’s Booker Prize. She described The Prophet Song as “a triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave”. Paul Lynch became the fifth Irish author to win this prestigious award and was given a prize of £ 50,000. He received the trophy from last year’s winner Shehan Karunatilaka, who won for his novel The Seven Moons of Mali Almeida.