Irish writer Paul Lynch wins 2023 Booker Prize for 'Prophet Song

The Prophet Song, written by 46-year-old Paul Lynch of Ireland, won the prestigious 2023 Booker Prize. This is the first time that Paul Lynch has received the Booker Prize.

The winning prize money of £50,000 and the trophy were presented to Paul Lynch by the 2022 winner, Shehan Karunatilaka of Sri Lanka, at a ceremony held in London on 26 November 2023.

Shehan Karunatilaka won the prize in 2022 for his book “ “Seven Moons of Maali Almeida''.

Prophet Song Book 

It took Paul Lynch 4 years to write the 'Prophet Song', which tells the story of a family dealing with a terrifying world in which the democratic norms they are used to begin to disappear.

According to the author Paul Lynch, the book Prophet Song was inspired by the Syrian civil war and the ensuing refugee crisis.

Prophet Song is Paul Lynch's fifth book.

Other Shortlisted Books for the 2023 Booker Prize 

Seven books, including Prophet Song, were shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize.

The other five nominees were:

• The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (Ireland) 
• Western Lane by Chetna Maroo (Britain)
• The Other Eden by Paul Harding (American) 
• If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery (American) 
• Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein (Canada) 

The winner gets £50,000(British Pound Sterling) as prize money, while the other five shortlisted writers are awarded prize money of £2,500 each.

Booker Prize 

• The Booker Prize is a literary prize awarded for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. The Booker Prize was set up in 1968 as the 'Booker Prize for Fiction', sponsored by a British multinational company, Booker McConnell. 
• In 2002, the prize was transferred to an independent charity, the 'Booker Prize Foundation'. It was funded by Man Group, and the prize was called 'Man Booker Prize '.
• In 2020, the Man Group dropped out of the sponsorship and at present, a charitable foundation, Crankstart, is funding it. 
• Sir Micheal Moritz and Harriet Heyman of the United States of America set up Crankstart.
• The first Booker Prize was awarded in 1969 to PH Newby of Britain for his book "Something to Answer For".

Indian winner of the Booker Prize 

• The first Indian to get the Booker Prize was Arundhati Roy for her book The God of Small Things, published in 1997.
• The second Indian was Kiran Desai for her book "The Inheritance of Loss" in 2006.
• The third Indian to get the award was Aravind Adiga for his book "The White Tiger" in 2008.

International Booker Prize 

• The Booker Foundation also gives the International Booker Prize.
•  It is given to a book translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
• The International Booker Prize was first awarded in 2004. 
• Initially, it was awarded every two years, but since 2016, it has been awarded annually.
• Geetanjali Shree is the first Indian author to win the International Booker Prize 2022 for her Hindi novel 'Tomb of Sand' (रेत समाधि).