81-year-old British author wins 50,000 Booker Prize, becomes oldest recipient

British author M John Harrison, aged 81, has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Booker Prize for his dystopian novel, "The End of Everything." Harrison, known for his science fiction and fantasy works, became the oldest recipient of the award, receiving a £50,000 prize at a ceremony in London. The novel, which follows the story of a man, Phillip Tennent, and his aunt, Marnie, who live in a world devastated by a mysterious invasion, was selected from 163 entries.

Harrison, whose writing career spans six decades, had not expected to win the award, describing the Booker as important in a "landscape of industrialised fiction." The chair of the Booker Prize judging panel, classicist Mary Beard, praised the novel for its exploration of the "politics of now seen through the lens of the future" and its ability to leave readers with a twinge of optimism.

Harrison's victory highlights the increasing recognition of science fiction and other genre-based works within mainstream literary awards.