Against the odds, 81-year-old author claims Booker Prize

M John Harrison, an 81-year-old British author, has been named the oldest winner of the Booker Prize. His dystopian novel, "The End Of Everything," set in a near-future Kent coast, won the prestigious literary award. The novel explores a mysterious invasion of shapeshifting entities amid societal collapse.

Gaby Wood, the CEO of the Booker Prize Foundation, praised Harrison for being a genuinely original thinker and a genre-defying writer. The novel was chosen from a shortlist of six by a judging panel that included Mary Beard, Jarvis Cocker, and Raymond Antrobus. Harrison, who previously served as a judge for the Booker Prize, received £50,000 and a trophy presented by last year's winner, David Szalay.

"The End Of Everything" was described as a dystopian satire that probes the limits of human understanding. It was the shortest book among the contenders, with 198 pages. Harrison, whose full name is Michael John Harrison, discussed his Booker Prize nomination on BBC Radio 4, expressing excitement about a well-written science fiction work being considered literary fiction.

Harrison became the oldest winner in the history of the Booker Prize, surpassing Margaret Atwood, who was 79 when she won in 2019. The award also marked the first win for "The End Of Everything" publisher, Serpent's Tail, after five nominations. Mary Beard, the chair of the Booker Prize judges, stated that the decision was unanimous, noting that the book stood out among the other amazing, wonderful, and mind-blowing entries.