Four Irish novels make 2023 Booker Prize longlist
Sebastian Barry, Elaine Feeney, Paul Lynch, and Paul Murray have made the 2023 Booker Prize longlist.
Joining the thirteen strong longlist are Sebastian Barry with Old God’s Time (Faber); Elaine Feeney with How to Build a Boat (Harvill Secker); Paul Lynch with Prophet Song (Oneworld); and Paul Murray with The Bee Sting (Hamish Hamilton) .
The judges commented that Barry’s Old God’s Time sensitively explored the enduring power of love in what they describe as a “compassionate and quietly furious book.”
Feeney’s How to Build a Boat was described as “an absorbing coming-of-age story which also explores the restrictions of class and education in a small community. A complex and genuinely moving novel.”
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray was hailed as “at once hilarious and heartbreaking, personal and epic. It’s an addictive read.”
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch was received as timely and unforgettable. “ It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a novelist to capture the social and political anxieties of our moment so compellingly.”
The Booker’s dozen sees books which explore universal and topical themes, from deeply moving personal dramas to tragicomic family sagas, from the effects of climate change to the oppression of minorities, and from scientific breakthroughs to competitive sport.
The 2023 Booker Longlist
- Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ (Nigerian) A Spell of Good Things (Canongate)
- Sebastian Barry (Irish) Old God’s Time (Faber & Faber)
- Sarah Bernstein (Canadian) Study for Obedience (Granta Books)
- Jonathan Escoffery (American) If I Survive You (4th Estate)
- Elaine Feeney (Irish) How to Build a Boat (Harvill Secker)
- Paul Harding (American) This Other Eden (Hutchinson Heinemann)
- Siân Hughes (British) Pearl (The Indigo Press)
- Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow (British) All the Little Bird-Hearts (Tinder Press)
- Paul Lynch (Irish) Prophet Song (Oneworld)
- Martin MacInnes (British) In Ascension (Atlantic Books)
- Chetna Maroo (British) Western Lane (Picador)
- Paul Murray (Irish) The Bee Sting (Hamish Hamilton)
- Tan Twan Eng (Malaysian) The House of Doors (Canongate)
A diverse list that includes 10 writers longlisted for the first time, four debut novelists, and writers from seven countries across four continents, Esi Edugyan, Chair of the judges, said that the list is defined by its freshness – by the irreverence of new voices, and by the iconoclasm of established ones.
‘We read 163 novels across seven months, and in that time whole worlds opened to us. We were transported to early 20th century Maine and Penang, to the vibrant streets of Lagos and the squash courts of London, to the blackest depths of the Atlantic, and into a dystopic Ireland where the terrifying loss of rights comes as a hard warning.
“All 13 novels cast new light on what it means to exist in our time, and they do so in original and thrilling ways. Their range is vast, both in subject and form: they shocked us, made us laugh, filled us with anguish, but above all they stayed with us. This is a list to excite, challenge, delight, a list to bring wonder. The novels are small revolutions, each seeking to energise and awaken the language. Together – whether historical or contemporary – they offer startling portraits of the current.”
The shortlist of six books will be announced on Thursday, September 21 at an evening event at the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery in London, and will be live-streamed across all the Booker Prizes’ social platforms. The shortlisted authors each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book.
The 2023 winner will be announced on Sunday, November 26 at an award ceremony and the winner receives £50,000 and a trophy designed by the late Jan Pieńkowski.
