M. John Harrison wins 2026 Booker Prize with post-apocalyptic novel
The 81-year-old science fiction author claims the £50,000 honor for 'The End of Everything', marking a first for the genre in the prize's history.
By Andrew Bennett ·
British author M. John Harrison has secured 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, and this year’s selection marks a distinct shift toward the genre’s roots.
Harrison, 81, is the oldest winner in the history of the prize. The novel is his 13th, continuing a career that has primarily focused on science fiction. His previous work, Nova Swing, published in 2006, received both the Arthur C. Clarke and Philip K. Dick awards. The 2026 victory brings him a cash prize of £50,000, approximately $67,000, along with a trophy presented by David Szalay, the 2025 winner.
The story follows Philip, a man who searches for artifacts along the coast of Kent, England, and his aunt Marnie. The plot is set in a post-apocalyptic future and centers on the slow invasion of shape-shifting entities known as the iGhetti. Harrison stated in an interview with the Booker Prize team that current affairs inspired the work. He asked, "What happens when all of our expectations and explanations of the world become an ongoing disaster, but we still have to make a life?"
Mary Beard, chair of the judging panel, described the book in a statement. She said it turns readers upside down and raises a wry smile. Given the subject matter, she noted, it leaves the reader with a twinge of optimism. The panel also included poet Raymond Antrobus, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, editor Rebecca Liu, and novelist Patricia Lockwood.
Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, highlighted Harrison’s background. She wrote that while many past winners borrowed from science fiction, Harrison is the first to emerge from the bona fide SF world. She called him a genuinely original thinker and a genre-defying writer who takes ideas seriously.
Other titles on the shortlist included Marlon James’ The Disappearers and Elizabeth Strout’s The Things We Never Say. The prize continues to attract a diverse range of literary voices, with the 2026 selection placing a veteran science fiction writer at the center of the annual debate.
