British author M. John Harrison has won the prestigious 2026 Booker Prize with his dystopian novel The End of Everything, marking a historic milestone as the first author from the bona fide science fiction world to claim the literary award.
The 81-year-old writer was announced as the winner during a ceremony held at Old Billingsgate in London on Monday, November 9, 2026, taking home the £50,000 (approximately KSh8.6 million) prize.
Harrison’s victory also makes him the oldest author ever to win the Booker Prize, surpassing Canadian author Margaret Atwood, who was 79 when she jointly received the award in 2019.
His winning novel emerged ahead of works by several high-profile literary figures, including previous Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, as well as Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout.
Published by Serpent’s Tail, The End of Everything is a dystopian satire set along England’s near-future Kent coast, exploring societal collapse, uncertainty and the limits of human understanding.
The story follows Phillip Tennent, a beachcomber, and his elderly aunt Marnie as they struggle to survive in a world transformed by a mysterious catastrophe and the arrival of shape-shifting entities known as the iGhetti.
Chair of the judging panel, Mary Beard, praised the novel for its originality and contemporary relevance, describing it as “the politics of now seen through the lens of the future.”
She further noted that the book manages to challenge readers while offering an unexpected sense of optimism despite its unsettling subject matter.
The judging panel unanimously selected Harrison’s novel from a shortlist of six books after considering 163 submissions.
The achievement represents a significant breakthrough for science fiction literature, which has historically struggled to receive recognition in mainstream literary awards.
Booker Prize Foundation Chief Executive Gaby Wood described the victory as historic, noting that although previous winners had incorporated elements of science fiction into their writing, Harrison was the first winner to emerge directly from the science fiction literary tradition.
The award also marks the first Booker Prize victory for independent publisher Serpent’s Tail, an imprint of Profile Books.
Harrison’s win comes after six decades in a writing career that has established him as one of Britain’s distinctive literary voices, with The End of Everything becoming his 13th novel.
