M John Harrison becomes oldest Booker Prize winner for dystopian novel

British author M John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his dystopian novel The End of Everything, the Irish Examiner, Literary Hub and the Daily Mail reported. At 81 years old, Harrison is the oldest ever winner of the award, according to reports from the Irish Examiner, the Daily Mail, BBC News, the London Evening Standard and The Independent. Literary Hub and the Daily Mail reported that the ceremony took place in London, with the Daily Mail specifying the venue as Old Billingsgate. [1][3][4][7][9][10]

The Irish Examiner reported that at 198 pages, the novel was the shortest book among the contenders. The story is set on the near-future Kent coast and follows a mysterious invasion of shapeshifting entities during a societal collapse, according to the Irish Examiner and the Daily Mail. The New York Times reported that the novel beat out higher-profile books by Marlon James, Elizabeth Strout and Douglas Stuart on the shortlist. [1][2][4]

The judging panel was chaired by broadcaster Mary Beard, the Irish Examiner and Literary Hub reported. Beard called the book one that turns you upside down, raises a wry smile, and leaves the reader with a twinge of optimism, according to Literary Hub and the Daily Mail. Chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation Gaby Wood praised Harrison as a genuinely original thinker and genre-defying writer, the Irish Examiner reported. [1][3][4]

The End of Everything is Harrison's 13th novel and was published in the United Kingdom by Serpent's Tail. The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the best work of English fiction published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, with the winner receiving £50,000. [12][14]