British author M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel The End of Everything, becoming the oldest recipient in the history of the award at 81, per npr.org.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the satirical science-fiction novel follows a man named Philip searching for artifacts along the Kent coast alongside his aunt Marnie, against the backdrop of a slow-burning alien invasion.
Judging chair Mary Beard described the winning work as a novel that “turns you upside down, raises a wry smile, and surprisingly, given the subject matter, leaves you with a twinge of optimism.”
The award marks a milestone for the literary prize, which carries a £50,000 cash award. Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, noted that while past winners have incorporated speculative elements, Harrison is the first winner to emerge directly from the science fiction genre, praising him as a “genuinely original thinker.”
Harrison has authored 13 novels over a career spanning several decades. His 2006 novel Nova Swing previously secured both the Arthur C. Clarke Award in the UK and the Philip K. Dick Award in the US.
The 2026 judging panel, chaired by Beard, featured poet Raymond Antrobus, musician Jarvis Cocker, critic Rebecca Liu, and writer Patricia Lockwood. Shortlisted contenders included Marlon James for The Disappearers and Elizabeth Strout for The Things We Never Say. Harrison succeeds 2025 winner David Szalay, who won for Flesh.
•Featured image by Yuki Sugiura/The Booker Prize Foundation