M. John Harrison Wins 2026 Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’ at 81
The British author's dystopian novel won the £50,000 prize at a ceremony in London on Monday, making the 81-year-old the oldest winner in the prize's history and the first science-fiction novel to take it.
British author M. John Harrison won the 2026 Booker Prize on Monday for his novel “The End of Everything,” becoming the oldest winner in the prize’s history at 81.
The announcement came at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London, the site of a former fish market. Harrison takes home a £50,000 prize (about $67,000). The five judges, chaired by historian Mary Beard, chose the book unanimously after a day of debate.
The 198-page novel, Harrison’s 13th, was the shortest of the six shortlisted books. It follows Phillip Tennent, a beach scavenger on England’s south coast, and his elderly aunt Marnie, years after social order has broken down and mysterious beings called the iGhetti have arrived. Harrison has said the novel was sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.
A first for science fiction
The win is a rare recognition for speculative fiction, and CNN called it the first time a science-fiction novel has taken the prize. The judges said the book “turns you upside down, raises a wry smile and, surprisingly, given the subject matter, leaves you with a twinge of optimism.” Beard described it as “the politics of now seen through the lens of the future.”
Harrison beat five other finalists, including former winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart. He was picked from 163 submissions, narrowed to a 13-book longlist and six finalists announced in September. The other shortlisted books were “The Disappearers” by James, “John of John” by Stuart, “Black Bag” by Luke Kennard, “The Things We Never Say” by Elizabeth Strout and “May We Feed the King” by Rebecca Perry.
The previous oldest winner was Margaret Atwood, who was 79 when she shared the 2019 prize for “The Testaments.” Last year’s prize went to David Szalay’s “Flesh.” Harrison, whose career as a novelist and critic spans six decades, had never been nominated for the Booker Prize before.
“You talk glibly about your life being changed, but it’s weird when it happens. I feel like a proper writer at last, totally lacking in confidence,” Harrison said as he accepted the award.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and CNN.
