British author M John Harrison wins the 2026 Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’
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The End of Everything by British author M John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize. Harrison received £50,000 and a trophy, Iris.
It is a satirical dystopian novel that follows a beachcomber and his pistol-toting aunt as they eke out an existence together on a near-future Kent coast.
At 81, Harrison becomes the oldest author to win in the history of the prize, with a writing career spanning 60 years. This was also his first nomination for the Booker Prize.
Mary Beard, the Chair of the jury said, “It’s a book that turns you upside down, raises a wry smile – and surprisingly, given the subject matter, leaves you with a twinge of optimism. Central to the story are Phillip Tennent and his elderly aunt Marnie, living on the south coast of England, a few decades into the future, some years after a mysterious catastrophe: an invasion of “iGhetti” (the “i” hinting at something digital, but you can’t be sure).
“Social norms have been eroded, law and order have fallen into the hands of vigilantes, and you may well have a crashed plane lodged in your garden. People try to muddle through nonetheless, even making a show of business as usual (children’s parties and a morning coffee...