How quickly can a free country turn into a dictatorship? Irish democracy is crumbling, the country is in the hands of a government veering toward tyranny, and societal order is quickly unravelling. Paul Lynch has written a gripping dystopian novel depicting a situation that could quickly become reality anywhere in the world. But it also celebrates the indomitability of the human spirit in inhuman conditions. Lynch’s novel Prophet Song won the 2023 Booker Prize. Moderated by Petr Vizina.

Programme partner: Odeon Publishing House

Paul Lynch is one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Irish literature. He won the 2023 Booker Prize for his most recent novel, Prophet Song (2023), which depicts a dystopian future for Ireland. Through the eyes of a mother of four, it traces the chilling reality of a free country’s gradual transformation into a totalitarian society. Lynch’s work is characterised by a unique poetic style and challenging existential themes such as identity, memory, and faith. To date he has written five novels, which have been translated into more than forty languages and won numerous awards. The Black Snow (2014) was awarded the French Prix Libr'à Nous for Best Foreign Novel. Grace (2017), a novel about the Great Famine in Ireland, was the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for both the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. And Beyond the Sea (2019) won the French Prix Gens de Mer for maritime literature.

Petr Vizina studied theology and currently teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University. He is the editor-in-chief of the magazine Quartal, which is published by Prague City Gallery. He writes interviews, glosses, and critical commentaries for Aktualne.cz and Czech Radio. For seven years, he led the cultural newsroom of Czech Television. He is a recipient of the Josef Dobrovský Prize. Vizina has published numerous books, including the collection of interviews with Czech artists Stará garda (The old guard, 2016), the memoirs of Lydia Tischlerová Se žlutou hvězdou v prázdném kupé (With a yellow star in empty compartment, 2021), the book of interviews about spirituality Znamení neznámého (Signs of the unknown, 2021) and the book interview with artist Krištof Kintera Nad očekávání (Beyond expectations, 2022).