Interviews with the authors longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023

The authors shortlisted and longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize reveal the inspirations behind their nominated work, their writing processes and their favourite Booker books

Published September 21, 2023

A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ interview: 'Whenever my mother was in the UK, she'd return with a Booker-winning book'

With A Spell of Good Things longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ talks about how impulse strikes when she’s observing others, and the literary traditions that have nourished her as a writer

Sebastian Barry interview: 'When I heard I'd been longlisted, I shed a few tears'

With Old God’s Time longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Sebastian Barry about the importance of dreaming, and why Irish writers do what they do

Sarah Bernstein interview: 'The question of innocence is a complicated one'

With Study for Obedience shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Sarah Bernstein about the cruelty of the countryside and why her writing begins with sounds rather than stories

Jonathan Escoffery interview: 'Humour is a coping mechanism used by people who are aware of their powerlessness'

With If I Survive You shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Jonathan Escoffery about standalone stories, and exploring the fraught relationships between fathers and sons

Elaine Feeney interview: 'It's impossible not to consider pain and loss when writing'

With How to Build a Boat longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Elaine Feeney about why Ireland is a nation of storytellers and how her main character was inspired by her son

Paul Harding interview: 'Without exaggeration, the book was mostly written on Post-it notes'

With This Other Eden shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Paul Harding about the real island that inspired the book, and why his method of writing is like musical improvisation

Siân Hughes interview: 'This was the project that would not leave me alone'

With Pearl longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Siân Hughes about her lifelong obsession, and how the book is rooted in her home village

All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow interview: 'I'd be happy for more autistic writers to be celebrated'

With All the Little Bird-Hearts longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow about why she set her book in the 1980s, and writing whenever there’s an opportunity to do so

Paul Lynch interview: 'Prophet Song is an attempt at radical empathy'

We spoke to Paul Lynch, winner of the Booker Prize 2023, about writing the ‘wrong’ book and creating a realistic dystopia

Martin MacInnes interview: ‘An SF novel can be as high-brow as any other genre’

With In Ascension longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Martin MacInnes about the interconnectedness of life – and why arts and sciences belong together

Chetna Maroo interview: 'It’s unusual to experience such a clear starting impulse for a story'

With Western Lane shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Chetna Maroo about sport, sisters and unspoken language

Paul Murray interview: 'If a book is gripping, then you don’t care about the page count'

With The Bee Sting shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Paul Murray about getting the details of Ireland’s Midlands right, and why he wanted to write about climate change

Tan Twan Eng interview: 'Winning would mean much more than something personal for me'

With The House of Doors longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, we spoke to Tan Twan Eng about beginning with the book’s final sentence – and why it’s harder to write fiction about real people

Interviews with the authors longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ interview: 'Whenever my mother was in the UK, she'd return with a Booker-winning book'

Sebastian Barry interview: 'When I heard I'd been longlisted, I shed a few tears'

Sarah Bernstein interview: 'The question of innocence is a complicated one'

Jonathan Escoffery interview: 'Humour is a coping mechanism used by people who are aware of their powerlessness'

Elaine Feeney interview: 'It's impossible not to consider pain and loss when writing'

Paul Harding interview: 'Without exaggeration, the book was mostly written on Post-it notes'

Siân Hughes interview: 'This was the project that would not leave me alone'

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow interview: 'I'd be happy for more autistic writers to be celebrated'

Paul Lynch interview: 'Prophet Song is an attempt at radical empathy'

Martin MacInnes interview: ‘An SF novel can be as high-brow as any other genre’

Chetna Maroo interview: 'It’s unusual to experience such a clear starting impulse for a story'

Paul Murray interview: 'If a book is gripping, then you don’t care about the page count'

Tan Twan Eng interview: 'Winning would mean much more than something personal for me'

Esi Edugyan on judging the Booker Prize 2023

Read more about the Booker Prize 2023

13 things you need to know about the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Booker Prize 2023: what our judges said about the longlist

Quiz: Which book from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist should you read first?

Read extracts from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Win a set of all 13 books from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Interviews with the authors longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ interview: 'Whenever my mother was in the UK, she'd return with a Booker-winning book'

Sebastian Barry interview: 'When I heard I'd been longlisted, I shed a few tears'

Sarah Bernstein interview: 'The question of innocence is a complicated one'

Jonathan Escoffery interview: 'Humour is a coping mechanism used by people who are aware of their powerlessness'

Elaine Feeney interview: 'It's impossible not to consider pain and loss when writing'

Paul Harding interview: 'Without exaggeration, the book was mostly written on Post-it notes'

Siân Hughes interview: 'This was the project that would not leave me alone'

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow interview: 'I'd be happy for more autistic writers to be celebrated'

Paul Lynch interview: 'Prophet Song is an attempt at radical empathy'

Martin MacInnes interview: ‘An SF novel can be as high-brow as any other genre’

Chetna Maroo interview: 'It’s unusual to experience such a clear starting impulse for a story'

Paul Murray interview: 'If a book is gripping, then you don’t care about the page count'

Tan Twan Eng interview: 'Winning would mean much more than something personal for me'

Esi Edugyan on judging the Booker Prize 2023

Read more about the Booker Prize 2023

13 things you need to know about the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Booker Prize 2023: what our judges said about the longlist

Quiz: Which book from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist should you read first?

Read extracts from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Win a set of all 13 books from the Booker Prize 2023 longlist

Features

14 Booker-nominated books that will change your worldview, as chosen by our readers

Booker Prize books that have been adapted for film and television

11 Booker-nominated books that reimagine classic works and ancient texts

Eight of the best Booker-nominated books written by poets

11 of the best anti-heroes in Booker Prize-nominated novels, for fans of the Joker

13 of the best page-turners from the Booker Library

Yael van der Wouden interview: ‘For a long time, my relationship to literature was pretty flat’

10 of the best short story books and collections from the Booker Library

20 of the best summer reads nominated for the Booker Prize, chosen by our readers

Summer holiday quiz: 30 questions to test your Booker Prizes knowledge

10 of the funniest novels from the Booker Library

Nine Booker Prize-nominated novels with the best plot twists (no spoilers)

Eight Booker Prize-nominated books for World Environment Day

12 of the best novels for Pride Month from the Booker Library

10 of the best sci-fi books nominated for the Booker Prizes

Quiz: Can you guess which Booker-nominated books these first lines are from?

Reading goals: the books you are reaching for in 2024

‘I have the freedom to follow my intuition’: Juliet Mabey on winning the Booker Prize three times

The Booker Prize guide to... dystopian fiction

Everything you need to know about Prophet Song, winner of the Booker Prize 2023

Meet the designers behind the Booker Prize 2023's bespoke bound books

Paul Lynch on the writers who have influenced him the most

The Booker Prize Podcast, Episode 19: Exploring the 2023 shortlist, plus winner predictions (part 2)

Meet the six winners of our Indie Bookshop Spotlight competition

11 of the scariest books from the Booker Library, chosen by our readers

Paul Murray on Thomas Pynchon: ‘His vision of the future feels more prescient every day’

Sarah Bernstein on Marie NDiaye: ‘Her characters and settings remain opaque, they keep their secrets’

The Booker Prize Podcast, Episode 18: Exploring the Booker Prize 2023 shortlist (part 1)

Paul Harding on Shakespeare’s villains: ‘I want my characters to wrestle with their best and worst impulses’

Watch actors read extracts from 2023's shortlisted books

Quiz: how well do you know the Booker Prize's Pauls?

Paul Murray interview: 'If a book is gripping, then you don’t care about the page count'

Chetna Maroo interview: 'It’s unusual to experience such a clear starting impulse for a story'

Jonathan Escoffery interview: 'Humour is a coping mechanism used by people who are aware of their powerlessness'

Paul Harding interview: 'Without exaggeration, the book was mostly written on Post-it notes'

Sarah Bernstein interview: 'The question of innocence is a complicated one'

Reading guide: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

Reading guide: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Reading guide: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Reading guide: Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

Reading guide: This Other Eden by Paul Harding

Reading guide: Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Elaine Feeney interview: 'It's impossible not to consider pain and loss when writing'

Tan Twan Eng interview: 'Winning would mean much more than something personal for me'

Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow interview: 'I'd be happy for more autistic writers to be celebrated'

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ interview: 'Whenever my mother was in the UK, she'd return with a Booker-winning book'

Sebastian Barry interview: 'When I heard I'd been longlisted, I shed a few tears'

Paul Lynch interview: 'Prophet Song is an attempt at radical empathy'

Siân Hughes interview: 'This was the project that would not leave me alone'

Martin MacInnes interview: ‘An SF novel can be as high-brow as any other genre’

An extract from This Other Eden by Paul Harding

An extract from If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

An extract from Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

Read the Booker Prize 2023 longlist: an extract from How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney

Read the Booker Prize 2023 longlist: an extract from All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow

An extract from The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Read the Booker Prize 2023 longlist: an extract from In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

An extract from Western Lane by Chetna Maroo