M. John Harrison wins Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’
Culture · First reported 9 Nov, 22:00 · Updated 22:34
M. John Harrison, 81, won the Booker Prize for his novel The End of Everything, which is set on the Kent coast after an unexplained disaster. It was his first Booker nomination and the first win for publisher Serpent’s Tail.
- Harrison received the £50,000 prize at a ceremony in London on Monday evening.
- At 81, he became the oldest Booker winner, surpassing Margaret Atwood, who was 79 when she shared the award in 2019.
- The novel follows Phillip Tennent and his ageing aunt Marnie on the Kent coast after a disaster, with mysterious shape-changing beings called the iGhetti nearby.
- The judges’ chair said the decision was unanimous after a full day of discussion. The book was the shortest on the shortlist, at 198 pages.
- The Guardian describes Harrison as the first Booker winner to come from the established science-fiction world; the other supplied reports also identify the novel as science fiction or dystopian.
Summary written by Sumzly from 3 articles
Key facts
- Winner
- M. John Harrison
- Winning book
- The End of Everything
- Prize amount
- £50,000
- Harrison’s age
- 81
- Novel length
- 198 pages
- Publisher
- Serpent’s Tail; first Booker win for the imprint
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- Corporation 42% (5)
- Public broadcaster 33% (4)
- Billionaire 8% (1)
- Independent 8% (1)
- Non-profit 8% (1)
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