Who's 81-year-old John Harrison, oldest Booker Prize winner
What's the story
British author M John Harrison has made history as the oldest winner of the prestigious Booker Prize. The 81-year-old was awarded the prize for his dystopian novel, The End of Everything. The announcement was made at a ceremony in London on November 9, where he received £50,000 and a trophy.
Career highlights
Notable works of Harrison
Harrison is a British novelist and literary critic who started his career in the 1960s.
His work often blends speculative fiction with philosophical themes of identity and reality.
Notable works include Climbers, which won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature in 1989, Nova Swing, which won the Arthur C Clarke Award in 2007, and The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again, which won the Goldsmiths Prize in 2020.
Novel details
About 'The End of Everything'
Published by Serpent's Tail, The End of Everything is Harrison's 13th novel.
It is set in near-future Britain on the Kent coast and follows Phillip Tennent, a beachcomber, and his elderly aunt Marnie.
The world around them was changed by an unexplained disaster involving shapeshifting creatures called iGhetti.
Harrison said the book was inspired by the 2008 financial crisis and how societies deal with incomprehensible disasters.
Critical acclaim
More about the book and award
The 2026 judging panel, chaired by Mary Beard, praised The End of Everything for its humor and unexpected optimism amid dark themes.
"One main point of the book is that if, or when, such an apocalypse comes it will be incomprehensible. And the old rules won't matter either. This is the politics of now seen through the lens of the future," she said.
Harrison's novel was selected from 163 eligible books.
Profile
Support for Palestinian cause
Beyond his literary achievements, Harrison has also spoken out on various political issues, including the Palestinian cause.
In January 2009, he was one of the signatories of an open letter calling for a boycott of Israel following its military offensive in Gaza.
The petition urged the British government and public to support boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel.