Samantha Harvey has clinched the 2024 Booker Prize with Orbital, marking a historic win as the first novel set in space to secure this prestigious literary award, per bbc.co.uk. Orbital explores the lives of astronauts aboard the International Space Station, offering a unique view of Earth and the cosmos that has resonated with readers and critics alike. Notably, Orbital has outsold the past three Booker winners combined, proving its widespread appeal.
The British author’s achievement also makes her the first woman to win the Booker Prize since 2019. At a glittering ceremony at London’s Old Billingsgate, she expressed gratitude for those who “speak for and not against the Earth, and work for and not against peace.” The £50,000 prize, she revealed, will go towards a new bike. “It’s going to be a good bike,” she laughed, visibly moved by the recognition.
In interviews following her win, Harvey admitted to moments of self-doubt while writing Orbital. “I thought, who would want to hear from a woman at her desk in Wiltshire writing about space, when people have actually been there?” Yet, this ‘space pastoral,’ as she describes it, is a profound meditation on isolation, beauty, and humanity’s impact on the world.
Orbital was lauded by Edmund de Waal, Chair of the Booker judges, as a “book about a wounded world.” De Waal praised Harvey’s work for its “beauty and ambition,” noting the novel’s lyrical language and introspective nature. Spanning a single day, the 136-page novel captures 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets from the astronauts’ view, as they circle Earth and witness breathtaking landscapes from glaciers to deserts.
Written during the lockdown, Harvey says the experience shaped her novel. “I was writing about six people trapped in a tin can,” she reflected, comparing the astronauts’ confinement to the global sense of isolation during the pandemic.
This year’s Booker shortlist was noteworthy for its strong representation of female writers, with five of the six finalists being women—the largest proportion in the prize’s 55-year history. The other nominees included acclaimed works by Percival Everett, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, Yael van der Wouden and Charlotte Wood, representing diverse voices from around the world.
Orbital solidifies Harvey’s place in the literary canon, joining the ranks of Booker legends like Hilary Mantel and Salman Rushdie, and marks a milestone for speculative fiction’s place in contemporary literature.
•Featured Image: Samantha Harvey/PA Media
