Booker Prize goes to 81-year-old sci-fi veteran
M. John Harrison takes the £50,000 award for his apocalyptic novel, becoming the oldest winner in the prize's history.
By Robert Ward ·
The 2026 Booker Prize has gone to a science fiction writer, shifting the prestigious literary award toward a genre that has historically remained on the periphery of its judging criteria. M. John Harrison, 81, won the prize for The End of Everything, a satirical novel set in a post-apocalyptic future.
Harrison is the oldest author to claim the award since its inception. His win marks the first time a writer with a primary background in science fiction has taken home the prize. The novel follows Philip, a man who searches for artifacts along the coast of Kent, England, and his aunt Marnie. The plot centers on a slow invasion by shape-shifting entities known as the iGhetti.
The author receives £50,000, approximately $67,000, for the victory. A trophy, presented by the previous year's winner, accompanies the cash prize. David Szalay won the 2025 Booker for his novel Flesh. This year's panel also considered Marlon James' The Disappearers and Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say.
Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, noted that while past winners have occasionally borrowed elements from science fiction, Harrison is the first to emerge directly from that field. Wood described him as a genre-defying writer who treats ideas seriously. Her assessment positions Harrison's career as a distinct departure from the literary norms typically honored by the prize.
Harrison, who has published 13 novels over several decades, said he drew inspiration from current affairs. In an interview with the Booker Prize team, he asked what happens when expectations of the world become an ongoing disaster, yet people must still make a life. His 2006 novel, Nova Swing, won both the Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick awards.
Mary Beard, chair of the judges, called the book a work that turns readers upside down and leaves them with a twinge of optimism despite its subject matter. The 2026 judging panel included poet Raymond Antrobus, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, editor Rebecca Liu, and novelist Patricia Lockwood. The prize recognizes the best fiction published in the U.K. and Ireland.
Harrison's victory adds a new data point to the prize's market. By selecting a work rooted in speculative fiction, the judges signaled an expansion of what constitutes literary merit for the award. The decision places a well-known sci-fi figure at the center of a traditionally literary event, potentially broadening the readership base for future shortlists.
