Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist: Six Novels, Authors and Key Facts

The six books shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2026 have been revealed, thus making them the contenders for the prestigious Booker Prize. From a total of 163 submissions, written in English and published between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, in the UK and/or Ireland, the list of six titles has been announced as contenders.

The six shortlisted writers are former Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, along with Elizabeth Strout, M. John Harrison, Luke Kennard and first-time Booker Prize nominee Rebecca Perry. The winner of the Booker Prize 2026 will be announced on November 9, 2026, in London.

Booker Prize 2026 Shortlisted Books

Shortlisted Novel	Author	Background
The End of Everything	M. John Harrison	England
The Disappearers	Marlon James	Jamaica
Black Bag	Luke Kennard	England
May We Feed the King	Rebecca Perry	England
The Things We Never Say	Elizabeth Strout	USA
John of John	Douglas Stuart	Scotland

The chair of judges for the 2026 Booker Prize are historians, Mary Beard, alongside Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood.

What Are the Six Shortlisted Books Entail?

The books have varied settings, genres and themes. They travel through the post-apocalyptic Kent coast, Isle of Harris, Kingston in Jamaica and Massachusetts, and an unnamed medieval court.

1. The End of Everything – M. John Harrison

This dystopian novel by M. John Harrison is about Philip Tennant surviving in the midst of a collapse of society and alien invasion, together with his aunt in the post-apocalyptic Kent coast. The novel is a combination of a thriller, mystery, satire, dystopia and road fiction.

2. The Disappearers – Marlon James

Set in the late 1980s in Kingston, Jamaica, Marlon James tells a story about the killing of a gay actor in the AIDS period and its repercussions. Marlon James has won the Booker Prize in 2015 with his work entitled “A Brief History of Seven Killings”.

3. Black Bag – Luke Kennard

Drawing inspiration from a real-life experiment in psychology conducted in the 1960s, Black Bag is about an unsuccessful actor who takes part in a university experiment of staying in a big black bag while attending classes.

4. May We Feed the King – Rebecca Perry

In Rebecca Perry’s first novel, there is a contrast between an anonymous medieval court and a modern-day curator that works at a historical palace. In this story, readers can see the theme of power, history, and the idea of whether the past has only one interpretation.

5. The Things We Never Say – Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout’s novel takes place in coastal Massachusetts in the period of the 2024 US election campaign. It is dedicated to Artie Dam, an ordinary teacher who leads an apparently happy life but experiences severe loneliness and hopelessness. The author also touches upon the political conflicts of contemporary America.

6. John of John – Douglas Stuart

Douglas Stuart narrates about the life of John-Calum MacLeod, an art graduate who returns to his native island of Harris against his will. The novel was written in the 1990s and includes the themes of family relations, religious oppression, hidden truths, and the father-son relationship.

Booker Prize 2026: Previous Winners Nominated for Shortlist

Two nominees on the shortlist for 2026 have been winners of the Booker Prize before.

Marlon James won it in 2015 for A Brief History of Seven Killings, while Douglas Stuart has won the Booker Prize in 2020 for Shuggie Bain.

If any one of the two wins, he/she will become only the fifth person to win the Booker Prize twice. Till now, there have been four writers who have been awarded the Booker Prize twice,

• J. M. Coetzee – 1983 and 1999
• Peter Carey – 1988 and 2001
• Hilary Mantel – 2009 and 2012
• Margaret Atwood – 2000 and 2019

Elizabeth Strout is another previous nominee of the Booker Prize shortlist. She has been shortlisted in 2022 for Oh William! and longlisted in 2016 for My Name Is Lucy Barton.

Booker Long List: Rebecca Perry’s Debut Novel Included

May We Feed the King is the only debut novel that has made it to the 2026 shortlist. Rebecca Perry’s book has received the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize in July 2026.

In all, only six debut novels have won the Booker Prize during its 57-year history. The latest was Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain in 2020.

M. John Harrison Can Make an Age Record

At 81, M. John Harrison is the oldest writer in the 2026 shortlist of the Booker Prize. In case he gets to win, he would become the oldest Booker Prize winner.

The age record holder for now is Margaret Atwood, who won the joint Booker Prize at 79 in 2019.

M. John Harrison has published 13 novels, five collections of short stories, and one anti-memoir. He was the Booker Prize judge in 2022.

Themes Which Are Common to the Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist

Although the novels differ in setting and genre, the six novels touch upon several themes in common. They look into issues such as identity, family, community, power, isolation, shame, trauma and secrets.

It is clear that the novels consider how people are formed by the world around them through their family ties, social environment, politics or history.

Thus, the shortlist combines historical, contemporary realistic, speculative, dystopian and satirical literature and discusses different aspects of human nature.

When Is the Winner of the Booker Prize 2026 Announced?

The winner of the Booker Prize 2026 will be announced at a ceremony to take place on Monday, November 9, 2026, at Old Billingsgate in London.

The award-winning novel will receive the £50,000 Booker Prize, with the shortlist uniting six authors from Jamaica, Scotland, England and the USA.