'Winning the Booker was insane': Paul Lynch at West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry
Paul Lynch in Bantry for West Cork Literary Festival. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko
Paul Lynch makes no bones about it; winning the Booker Prize in 2023 for his fifth novel, Prophet Song, has changed his life. "Winning the Booker was insane. I've done at least 200 interviews," he told the crowd at the Maritime Hotel.
The prize money and the surge in book sales have been welcome, of course, but with them has come a massive loss of solitude. For one who values his privacy, there have been some surreal moments; popping into a pharmacy during an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald journalist Helen Pitt in May saw her profile being headlined, The day I shopped for hair products with Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch.
