The Booker Prize is an annual literary award given for the best English-language novel of the year published in either the United Kingdom or Ireland.[1] The 2023 winner was Paul Lynch's Prophet Song.

Paul Lynch, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize

The 2023 longlist was announced on 1 August.[2] The shortlist, announced on 21 September,[3] consisted of six books from six different authors, one British, one Canadian, two Irish, and two American. For all six authors, this marked the first time that they had appeared in a Booker Prize shortlist.[4] For two writers, Escoffery and Maroo, the shortlist honour was given for their debut novels.[5] With the 2023 longlisting for her work All the Little Bird-Hearts, Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow became the first person with autism to be nominated for a Booker prize.[6] Regarding the 2023 shortlisted works, novelist and chair of the Booker Prize Judging Panel, Esi Edugyan stated "This year's novels offer a full range of lived experience, the books refuse easy categorization. No one voice, no one vision dominates."[7]

The winner was announced on 26 November 2023, at the Old Billingsgate in London.[8] The £50,000 prize was won by Paul Lynch of Ireland for his novel Prophet Song.[9][3] Esi Edugyan stated that the work was a "triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave". Edugyan also stated that the book's depiction of war and the migrant crisis "captures the social and political anxieties of our current moment."[10]

The keynote speaker for the award ceremony was Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was detained in an Iranian prison for about six years and released in March 2022. Zaghari-Ratcliffe explained how books that were smuggled to her had helped her during her time in solitary confinement.[11]

Judging panel

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Nominees

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  indicates the winner

Shortlist

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Author Title Genre(s) Country Publisher
Paul Lynch Prophet Song Novel Ireland Oneworld Publications
Paul Murray The Bee Sting Novel Ireland Hamish Hamilton
Chetna Maroo Western Lane Novel Kenya/England Picador
Paul Harding This Other Eden Novel USA Hutchinson Heinemann
Jonathan Escoffery If I Survive You Novel USA 4th Estate
Sarah Bernstein Study for Obedience Novel Canada Granta Books

Longlist

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Author Title Genre(s) Country Publisher
Tan Twan Eng The House of Doors Novel Malaysia Canongate
Martin MacInnes In Ascension Novel Scotland Atlantic Books
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow All the Little Bird-Hearts Novel England Tinder Press
Siân Hughes Pearl Novel England Indigo Press
Elaine Feeney How to Build a Boat Novel Ireland Harvill Secker
Sebastian Barry Old God's Time Novel Ireland Faber & Faber
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ A Spell of Good Things Novel Nigeria/England Canongate
Paul Murray The Bee Sting Novel Ireland Hamish Hamilton
Chetna Maroo Western Lane Novel Kenya/England Picador
Paul Lynch Prophet Song Novel Ireland Oneworld Publications
Paul Harding This Other Eden Novel USA Hutchinson Heinemann
Jonathan Escoffery If I Survive You Novel USA 4th Estate
Sarah Bernstein Study for Obedience Novel Canada Granta Books

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About the Booker Prize". The Booker Prizes. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  2. ^ "The Booker Prize 2023 longlist". thebookerprizes.com. The Booker Prizes. August 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "The Booker Prize 2023". thebookerprizes.com. Booker Prizes. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  4. ^ Creamer, Ella (21 September 2023). "Just one British writer makes the Booker prize shortlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  5. ^ Razzall, Katie (26 November 2023). "Booker Prize 2023 shortlist: Who are the six authors hoping to win tonight?". Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow interview: 'I'd be happy for more autistic writers to be celebrated' | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  7. ^ Nguyen, Sophia (21 September 2023). "Here are the 6 finalists for the 2023 Booker Prize023 Booker Prize". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Your Guide to Reading the Booker Prize Shortlist". russh.com. Russh Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ Marshall, Alex (26 November 2023). "Paul Lynch Wins Booker Prize for 'Prophet Song'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023.
  10. ^ Marshall, Alex (26 November 2023). "Paul Lynch Wins Booker Prize for 'Prophet Song'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  11. ^ Creamer, Ella (26 November 2023). "'Soul-shattering' Prophet Song by Paul Lynch wins 2023 Booker prize". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.