M. John Harrison Wins The 2026 Booker Prize With ‘The End Of Everything’

M. John Harrison has won the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel ‘The End Of Everything’. The book follows a beachcomber living on the English coast after a disaster has struck. He finds a mysterious object in the sea and brings it inland. It is the first sci-fi book to land the Booker. At 81, the author is also the oldest to claim the coveted prize. Accepting his award at the Old Billingsgate venue in London, Harrison was asked about the message in his post-disaster novel. He offered a wry response: “It’s a grim world and it will keep on being grim and there’s something distinctly weird about it. But at the end of things, there may be some kind of – I won’t say hope – but closure.” ‘The End Of Everything’ was Harrison’s first Booker-shortlisted novel. The author served as a judge in 2022. He won in a strong field that included previous winners Marlon James (‘The Disappearers’) and Douglas Stuart (‘John Of John’). Elizabeth Strout (‘The Things We Never Say’) also featured, with the ‘Olive Kitteridge’ author being shortlisted and longlisted on previous occasions. Luke Kennard (‘Black Bag’) and Rebecca Perry (‘May We Feed The King’) rounded out the six-strong 2026 short list. Watch on Deadline Harrison had earlier said his winning book is “a novel about the failure of explanation in society.” He added: “I thought to myself, how do I do that? And a disaster was a good starting point for that kind of jump off.” The Booker is thought to be the most prestigious prize in the world for a single work of literary fiction. The winner takes home a £50,000 ($67,000) cash prize and there is a huge boost to their profile and book sales. There is also long-established pathway for shortlisted and winning novels to be brought to the screen. Booker winners adapted for the film and TV include Hilary Mantel’s ‘Wolf Hall’, Thomas Keneally’s ‘Schindler’s Ark’ (published as ‘Schindler’s List’ in the U.S.) and Yann Martel’s ‘Life of Pi’. David Szalay presented Harrison with his award, having won last year’s prize with his novel ‘Flesh’. After winning, he told Deadline a movie adaptation is in the works, with Conclave producer House Productions bringing it to the big screen.