British author M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel The End of Everything, one of the most prestigious accolades in fiction. At 81, Harrison has also made history as the oldest-ever recipient of the award.
The winner was announced on Monday at a ceremony held at London’s Old Billingsgate, a former fish market. Harrison will take home prize money of £50,000 (approximately $67,000). This year’s judging committee was led by historian Mary Beard and included poet Raymond Antrobus, writer Patricia Lockwood, critic Rebecca Liu, and Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of the British band Pulp, as per CNN.
“The End of Everything can be read as a thriller, a mystery, a satire, a dystopia, a road novel, a work of realism; whatever the reader is looking for can be found here, albeit told at a slant and with a twist,” the jury shared.
Harrison’s win could be considered the first time a science fiction novel has been awarded the prize. Though the 2024 winner Orbital takes place aboard a space station, the philosophical novel is murkier in its categorisation. Regardless, this year marks a rare recognition of sci-fi, honouring an author who has published within the genre for more than five decades.
Harrison began his Virconium series in 1971, set on a futuristic Earth, and continued writing about the fictional city in novels and stories through 1984.
Among his other works, he completed the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy between 2002 and 2012. This year was the first time he was nominated for the Booker Prize.
Source: Khaleej Times