Veteran British writer and critic Mr. M. John Harrison has won the prestigious 2026 Booker Prize for Fiction for his acclaimed and satirical dystopian novel The End of Everything. Notably, this is the first time a work of science fiction has won the prestigious literary award.

Mr. Harrison’s name was announced as this year’s winner at a grand ceremony in London on Monday (November 9, 2026). As the winner, he will receive prize money of £50,000. At the age of 81, Mr. Harrison has become the oldest-ever winner in Booker history. Before him, Margaret Atwood won the title in 2019 at a younger age.

Novel’s Setting and Judges’ Assessment

Mr. Harrison’s 13th novel revolves around the collapse of human society, the apocalypse and the crises of the modern age. The story follows a character engaged in beachcombing along the coast of southern England who encounters strange alien objects or mysterious artefacts that could permanently transform the world as humanity knows it.

Dame Mary Beard, a renowned academic and historian who chaired this year’s Booker Prize judging panel, described the novel as a “clever and unsettling post-apocalyptic adventure”. According to the judges, although the book challenges the limits of human understanding, it also carries a sense of hopeful warmth.

Reacting to his victory, Mr. Harrison told the media that the award had broken down the traditional barriers and divisions between literary genres that had long existed in the literary world. He demonstrated that it is possible to combine multiple genres in a single novel.

Asked how he planned to spend the prize money, Mr. Harrison jokingly said that writers’ homes are always in a state of disrepair, so he would spend the money on home renovations.

Source: Al Jazeera