Literary Award: Harrison wins Booker for sci-fi satire
The 81-year-old author receives £50,000 for his 13th novel, becoming the oldest winner in the prize's history.
By Lucas Collins ·
M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his satirical science fiction novel, The End of Everything. The award recognizes the best fiction published in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the preceding year.
Harrison, who is 81, is now the oldest author to receive the honor. His career spans decades, primarily within the science fiction genre. The End of Everything is his 13th novel. He previously won the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his 2006 book, Nova Swing.
The novel centers on a man named Philip and his aunt, Marnie. Philip searches for artifacts along the coast of Kent, England, in a post-apocalyptic future. The narrative addresses a slow invasion by shape-shifting entities known as the iGhetti.
Harrison told the Booker Prize team that the work draws from current events. He asked what occurs when global expectations and explanations become a continuous disaster, yet people must still maintain a life.
Mary Beard, the chair of this year's judges, described the book in a statement. She noted that the novel turns readers upside down and raises a wry smile. She added that the story leaves a twinge of optimism despite its subject matter.
Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, highlighted Harrison's background in a separate statement. She observed that while previous winners borrowed elements of science fiction, Harrison is the first to emerge directly from that field. She called him a genuinely original thinker who takes ideas seriously.
The judging panel also included poet Raymond Antrobus, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, editor Rebecca Liu, and novelist Patricia Lockwood. The other shortlisted works were The Disappearers by Marlon James and The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout.
Harrison receives a prize of £50,000, approximately $67,000. He will also accept a trophy from David Szalay, the 2025 winner for his novel, Flesh.
