British author M John Harrison won the Booker Prize at age 81 for his dystopian novel The End Of Everything, making him the oldest winner in the award’s history, rte.ie reported.
Oldest Booker Winner
The £50,000 prize and trophy were awarded at a ceremony in London on Monday evening, according to rte.ie. Harrison surpassed Margaret Atwood, who was 79 when she received the award in 2019 for The Testaments, The Guardian reported. The win marks a historic moment as the first Booker victory for publisher Serpent’s Tail after five nominations, rte.ie reported.
Dystopian Kent Coast Setting
The End Of Everything is set on the near-future Kent coast and follows the mysterious invasion of shapeshifting entities amid a societal collapse. At 198 pages, it was the shortest book among the contenders, rte.ie reported. The Guardian noted that the story takes place a few decades from now, years after a disaster nobody can properly account for.
Unanimous Panel Decision
The judging panel, chaired by historian Mary Beard, chose the novel from a shortlist of six books, rte.ie reported. Beard said the panel reached a unanimous decision after spending “a whole day debating the six remarkable novels on this year’s shortlist,” according to rte.ie. Booker Prize Foundation chief executive Gaby Wood lauded Harrison as “a genuinely original thinker, a genre-defying writer who takes ideas seriously,” rte.ie reported.
Literary Fiction Boundaries
Wood also noted that while past winners have dabbled in science fiction, Harrison is the first Booker winner to emerge from the bona fide SF world, The Guardian reported. The panel considered 163 eligible books published in the UK and Ireland between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, rte.ie reported.
#BREAKING: At 81 years old, M John Harrison has become the oldest winner of the Booker Prize, worth 50,000 British pounds ($95,000). https://t.co/LwcVOlbDhs
Harrison Has Published Thirteen Novels and Several Short Story Collections
The End Of Everything is the author’s 13th novel. He has also published five short story collections, including You Should Come With Me Now in 2017 and Settling the World: Selected Stories in 2021, as well as an “anti-memoir” titled Wish I Was Here in 2023.
A former rock climber and fell runner, Harrison served as a judge for the Booker Prize in 2022. The shortlist he competed against included two former winners: Marlon James for The Disappearers and Douglas Stuart for John of John.
Where the Booker Prize Ceremony Was Held and Who Chaired the Panel
Where was the Booker Prize ceremony held?
The £50,000 prize and trophy were awarded to Harrison at a ceremony in London on Monday evening, according to rte.ie.
Who chaired the Booker Prize judging panel?
Historian Mary Beard chaired the judging panel, rte.ie reported.
Which publisher released The End of Everything?
The novel was published by Serpent’s Tail, an imprint of Profile Books, marking the independent publisher’s first Booker Prize win after five nominations, according to The Guardian and rte.ie.
More on John Harrison
🔴 M. John Harrison, 81, wins Booker Prize for AI-tinged novel 'The End of Everything' Harrison became the oldest Booker Prize winner on Monday. His 13th novel, a 198-page work set on the English coast in the near future, depicts mysterious objects called iGhetti that can… pic.twitter.com/HXx0zYdqlI