Booker Prize longlist: See the 13 'dynamite' novels up for this year's prestigious award
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- The Booker Prize 2026 longlist features 13 novels from authors including previous winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, plus Elizabeth Strout and Rebecca Perry, drawn from 163 total submissions.
- Mary Beard, chair of the five-judge panel, called the longlist "dynamite" and noted each of the five judges personally read all 163 submitted books.
- The longlist spans geographically diverse settings — Mexico City, a remote Scottish island, an assisted suicide clinic in Zurich, 1980s Kingston Jamaica, pre-election Massachusetts, and post-apocalyptic coastal Kent.
- Julian Barnes, whose final novel "Departure(s)" was widely tipped for recognition, was among the high-profile omissions alongside Maggie O'Farrell, Ann Patchett, John Lanchester, and Deborah Levy.
- The shortlist will be announced 22 September with the winner named 9 November; the six shortlisted authors receive £2,500 each and the winner collects £50,000 plus a trophy.
- Djamel White, 28, is the youngest longlistee with his debut "All Them Dogs," while 81-year-old M. John Harrison is the oldest for his post-apocalyptic novel "The End of Everything."
Why it matters: Mary Beard's panel passed over several literary heavyweights — Julian Barnes, Maggie O'Farrell, Deborah Levy — in favor of a list ranging from 28-year-old debutant Djamel White to 81-year-old M. John Harrison. Six shortlisted authors each receive £2,500, and the 9 November winner collects £50,000 and a career-defining trophy.
