M. John Harrison, 81, wins the Booker Prize for The End of Everything

[RawRhys62]

The Booker Prize has gone to a writer with a long and remarkable career. Literary Hub reports that M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel The End of Everything, becoming the oldest author ever to win the award at 81

The award was presented at a ceremony in London. The winner receives £50,000, and each of the six shortlisted authors gets £2,500

The judges, chaired by Mary Beard, chose the book unanimously from the shortlist announced in September. Beard described it as a book that turns you upside down and raises a wry smile

The novel follows Phillip Tennent and his elderly aunt Marnie on a near future south coast of England, where order has collapsed after an invasion of creatures called iGhetti and vigilantes run law enforcement. A jelly like item found on the beach grows, starts talking and begins directing people

Harrison has influenced a generation of science fiction and fantasy writers, so seeing him win the Booker is a joy. A unanimous decision shows how strongly the judges felt. It is also lovely to see genre influenced writing recognised at the highest level

Have you read any of M. John Harrison's books? And does The End of Everything sound like something you would enjoy?

M. John Harrison's The End of Everything has won the 2026 Booker Prize.lithub.com