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This year’s Booker Prize shortlist again includes authors who have previously won this prestigious award—the Jamaican writer Marlon James and the Scottish-American writer Douglas Stuart. According to jury members, determining the final selection was a genuine test and was accompanied by fierce discussions. This is reported by the BBC.
This year James is contending for the Booker Prize with the novel The Disappearers. Douglas Stuart made the final shortlist with the book John of John.
James has already won the prize in 2015 for the novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, while Stuart became the laureate in 2020 for his debut Shuggie Bain.
Among the contenders this year are American writer and multiple award-winning author Elizabeth Strout, as well as British authors M. John Harrison, Luke Kennard, and Rebecca Perry.
From the longlist published in July, seven books did not make it to the final shortlist. Dame Mary Bird, who chaired the jury, admitted that deciding on six finalists was, to put it mildly, not easy.
The six novels that made the final shortlist were selected from 13 works that had previously appeared on the longlist for the prize. In total, the jury considered 163 books submitted for the competition. The finalists include writers from four countries—England, Scotland, Jamaica, and the United States.
The name of the Booker Prize winner will be announced on 9.
Shortlist for the Booker Prize 2026 year
The End of Everything - M. Harrison
After a mysterious catastrophe, the familiar world undergoes radical changes: state structures almost cease to function, unknown creatures appear in the seas, and Europe no longer resembles its former self. The novel’s protagonist, Philip Tennant, lives on the shores of the English Channel and collects items washed ashore. One day among the sea finds he discovers a strange creature capable of constantly changing form. Philip cannot leave it with him, so he sets off inland to hand over this unusual find.
The Disappearers - Marlon James
In Marlon James’s new novel, he turns to the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Jamaica in 1980–1990-s decades. The author shows the difficulties they face and the compromises they must make to survive in the society of that time.
Black Bag - Luke Kennard
At the center of the satirical novel is an unemployed actor who agrees to become a participant in an unusual university experiment. During lectures, he is to stay in the audience, hidden inside a large black bag, so the researcher can observe the students’ reactions. The situation takes an unexpected turn when a posthumanist professor becomes interested in the experiment. She begins to wonder if it is possible to fall in love with a person you cannot see. The novel combines elements of university satire and a love story while also addressing modern masculinity and its crisis.
May We Feed the King - Rebecca Perry
The novel unfolds in two time frames. The first storyline transports the reader to a medieval royal court. A young ruler unexpectedly ascends the throne after the deaths of the elder brothers, though he does not seek power or political combat. Because of this, conspiracies about his ability to govern spread among the courtiers, and later the question arises whether the throne can be passed to another pretender.
The second story takes place in the contemporary era. Its heroine works as a curator of historic buildings and is involved in restoring their interiors. While working in the private chambers of a medieval palace, she becomes so absorbed in the fate of a nearly forgotten king that she gradually loses the sense of where history ends and her own life begins.
The Things We Never Say - Elizabeth Strout
The novel’s main character is history teacher Art Damm, who on the surface leads a stable life, but feels lonely and harbors a significant secret. An unexpected discovery forces him to reassess his past, life choices, and his relationships with those closest to him.
John of John - Douglas Stuart
The novel’s protagonist is a young artist, John-Calum MacLeod, who returns to his native island of Harris in Scotland after an unsuccessful finish to his studies. There he again lives near his father—an old shepherd, weaver, and member of the local Presbyterian community. Conflicts between father and son arise over differences in views on faith and life. Over time, the personal conflict begins to affect the life of the entire isolated island community. The author explores the complexity of family relationships and how parental expectations influence the choices and futures of children.
In July it was announced that a Russian-born entrepreneur will fund the International Booker Prize for the next 10 years, so the prize will bear his name.
In May, the International Booker Prize for 2026 year was won for the first time by a novel translated from Chinese—the novel Taiwan Travelogue by Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi, translated by Lin Jing.
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