Don’t Call Paul Lynch’s Book a Political Novel Read This

For many years, Irish writer Paul Lynch was a household name…in France. And while his work was popular in translation, and received numerous French literary awards, it was still considered niche. This all changed in 2023, following the release of Prophet Song, which was critically lauded and eventually won the holy grail of English language literary awards: the Booker Prize. This week we return to the Melbourne Writers’ Festival to hear a conversation between Michael and Paul about how Paul became a writer, and why he doesn’t think Prophet Song is a political novel.

Reading list:
Red Sky in Morning, Paul Lynch, 2013
The Black Snow, Paul Lynch, 2014
Grace, Paul Lynch, 2017
Beyond the Sea, Paul Lynch, 2020
Prophet Song, Paul Lynch, 2023

The Prisoner of Zenda, Anthony Hope, 1894
King Solomon's Mines, H. Rider Haggard, 1885
The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy, 1886

The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry, 2024

You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store. 

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Guest: Paul Lynch.