M John Harrison becomes first science fiction author to win the Booker prize

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>The 81-year-old’s postapocalyptic novel The End of Everything takes home the £50,000 award</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/09/m-john-harrison-booker-prize-end-of-everything">Guardian fiction editor Justine Jordan on M John Harrison’s win: A visionary writer gets the recognition he deserves</a></p></li></ul><p>Eighty-one-year-old M John Harrison has won the Booker prize for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jun/09/the-end-of-everything-by-m-john-harrison-review-near-future-visions-from-an-sf-master">The End of Everything</a>, a postapocalyptic novel set on a near-future Kent coast, becoming the oldest winner in the award’s history.</p><p>Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said that while plenty of previous winners had dabbled in science fiction, Harrison’s was “the first Booker winner to have emerged from the bona fide SF world”. She called it “a historic win, for a writer whose decades of work are lightly worn on every page”.</p><p>The End of Everything by M. John Harrison (Profile, £16.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at <a href="https://www.guardianbookshop.com/the-end-of-everything-9781800812949/?utm_source=theguardian&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_content=endnote">guardianbookshop.com</a>. Delivery charges may apply.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/nov/09/m-john-harrison-the-end-of-everything-wins-2026-booker-prize">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.