International prize-winning author Paul Lynch has been longlisted for a prestigious Booker Prize.
Lynch, who grew up in Carndonagh, made the Booker’s 2023 list with his fifth novel, Prophet Song.
The Booker Prize is the leading accolade for long-form fiction in the UK.
Lynch is one of four Irish names announced on this year’s ‘Booker Dozen’, which features most Irish authors ever to be selected.
Reacting to the award, he wrote: “What an honour. Congrats to the three other Irish writers on this list. My phone is going bananas….”
Born in Limerick, Lynch grew up in Inishowen. He later moved to Dublin where he lives with his wife and children.
He was previously the chief film critic of Ireland’s Sunday Tribune newspaper from 2007 to 2011, and wrote regularly for The Sunday Times on film. He is now a full-time novelist.
His debut novel, Red Sky in Morning, was set against the backdrops of north Donegal and Pennsylvania.
Prophet Song, which will be released on 24th August, is set in Dublin. The book is described as a “fearless portrait of a society on the brink and a mother’s battle to save her family”.
The Booker Prize judges’ praise for the book said: “Paul Lynch’s harrowing and dystopian Prophet Song vividly renders a mother’s determination to protect her family as Ireland’s liberal democracy slides inexorably and terrifyingly into totalitarianism. Readers will find it timely and unforgettable. It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a novelist to capture the social and political anxieties of our moment so compellingly.”
To pre-order, check out: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/prophet-song
The other Irish names on the Booker longlist are Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Elaine Feeney’s How to Build a Boat, and Sebastian Barry’s Old God’s Time.