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M. John Harrison wins Booker Prize at 81
M. John Harrison, 81, becomes oldest Booker Prize winner with post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything.
In brief
M. John Harrison, 81, becomes oldest Booker Prize winner with post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything. M. John Harrison, 81, wins The Booker Prize for his post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything, becoming the oldest ever winner. Originally reported by Dailymail.
M. John Harrison wins Booker Prize
M. John Harrison becomes the oldest ever winner of The Booker Prize at the age of 81 for his post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything.
Harrison's literary career
The Warwickshire-born sci-fi novelist has a writing career spanning six decades and won the UK's most prestigious literary prize for his post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything.
Booker Prize ceremony
The novel was announced at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London on Monday and described as a 'book that turns you upside down'.
Story setting
The story is set in a coastal town in southeast England, at a time when the country is haunted by an alien lifeform called the iGhetti.
Main character
It follows a beachcomber named Phillip who discovers a shape-shifting creature washed ashore, which he must transport inland before it mutates.
Previous oldest winner
Margaret Atwood was previously the oldest recipient of The Booker Prize at the age of 79 in 2019 for The Testaments.
Harrison's previous works
Harrison is best known for his Viriconium series, 1989's Climbers, and his Kefahuchi Tract trilogy.
Booker Prize Foundation comment
Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, said Harrison is the first Booker winner to have emerged from the bona fide SF world.
Mary Beard's comment
Mary Beard, chair of judges, said the panel deliberated for a whole day and decided unanimously on The End Of Everything.
Book's impact
She described it as a book that turns you upside down, raises a wry smile, and leaves you with a twinge of optimism.
Book's themes
The book deals with 'the politics of now seen through the lens of the future'.
Shortlist composition
This year four out of six authors were British-born, and it was the second time in ten years more male than female authors were on the shortlist.
Harrison's publisher
Harrison's book is published by independent publisher Serpent's Tail.
Prize money
Harrison was awarded a trophy and £50,000 in prize money.
Shortlist authors
Harrison was up against Rebecca Perry's May We Feed the King, Luke Kennard's Black Bag, Douglas Stuart's John of John, and Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say.
Jury decision
The jury unanimously selected The End Of Everything as the winner after deliberating for a whole day.
What to remember
M. John Harrison, 81, wins The Booker Prize for his post-apocalyptic satire The End Of Everything, becoming the oldest ever winner.
