British science fiction writer John Harrison wins the Booker Prize
British writer M. John Harrison has become the winner of the 2026 Booker Prize for the dystopian novel The End of Everything. At the age of 81, he became the oldest winner in the history of one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world.
The organizers of the Booker Prize announced this. The awards ceremony took place on November 9 in London.
Harrison received a cash prize of 50,000 pounds sterling and a memorial statuette. The award was presented to the writer by last year's Booker Prize winner David Soloi.
The winner was Harrison's 13th novel, which was released in June 2026 by the British publisher Serpent's Tail.
The events of The End of Everything unfold in the near future on the coast of the British county of Kent after a mysterious catastrophe that led to the destruction of the usual social structure.
The main characters—Philip Tennent and his elderly aunt Marnie—are trying to adapt to life in a world where state institutions barely function, and strange creatures capable of changing shape have appeared alongside people.
The 198-page novel was the shortest among the six books that made the prize's final list. The jury unanimously selected it as the winner after considering 163 works.
The chair of the jury, British historian Mary Beard, called the novel a reflection of modern politics through the prism of the future. According to her, despite the dark theme, the book leaves the reader with a sense of optimism.
Harrison's victory became historic for several reasons. He not only surpassed the previous age record of the prize but also became the first laureate whose writing career was formed directly in the genre of science fiction.
Previously, the oldest winner was considered Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, who received the award in 2019 at the age of 79.
Harrison has been engaged in literary activity for about 60 years. He is known for the novels Climbers, Nova Swing, and The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again, which had previously received prestigious literary awards. In 2022, the writer himself was a member of the Booker Prize jury.
The Booker Prize was founded in Great Britain in 1969. It is annually awarded for the best, in the jury's opinion, work of fiction in English published in the UK or Ireland. Writers from any country in the world can be nominated for the award.
Based on materials from: The Booker Prizes
