M. John Harrison wins 2026 Booker Prize with post-apocalyptic novel
The 81-year-old author becomes the oldest recipient in the prize's history for his satirical science fiction work.
By Aiko Soto ·
The 2026 Booker Prize was awarded on Monday to M. John Harrison, the British author known for decades of science fiction writing.
Harrison accepts the top honor in British and Irish fiction for The End of Everything, a satirical novel set in a post-apocalyptic future. The work follows Philip, a man who searches for artifacts along the coast of Kent, England, and his aunt Marnie. The plot centers on the slow invasion of a shape-shifting entity called the iGhetti. Harrison is now the oldest author to win the award, having reached the milestone at age 81.
The selection marks the first time a winner emerged directly from the science fiction genre. Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, noted in a statement that while previous authors borrowed from the genre, Harrison is the first bona fide SF writer to take home the prize. She described him as a genuinely original thinker and a genre-defying writer who takes ideas seriously.
Mary Beard, the chair of the judging panel, characterized the book as a work that turns readers upside down while raising a wry smile. She noted that despite the dark subject matter, the novel leaves readers with a twinge of optimism. The panel also included poet Raymond Antrobus, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, editor Rebecca Liu, and novelist Patricia Lockwood.
Harrison told the Booker Prize team that he drew inspiration from current affairs. He asked in an interview: What happens when all of our expectations and explanations of the world become an ongoing disaster, but we still have to make a life? The novel is his 13th published book. His 2006 novel, Nova Swing, previously won both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Philip K. Dick Award.
The prize comes with a cash award of £50,000, approximately $67,000. The trophy is presented by the previous year's winner. David Szalay received the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. Other shortlisted titles for the 2026 award included The Disappearers by Marlon James and The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.
