LONDON — Two former Booker Prize champions are back in contention for the prestigious British literary award, joined by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a fresh crop of debut novelists in this year’s 13-book longlist.
A panel of five judges worked through 163 novels before settling on the semifinalists announced Tuesday for the 50,000 pound — roughly $66,000 — Booker Prize. Historian Mary Beard, who leads the judging panel, called the resulting list literary “dynamite.”
Among the notable titles is Marlon James’ “The Disappearers,” which follows a group of gay men navigating a hostile 1980s Jamaica. Douglas Stuart contributes “John of John,” a story centered on father-son secrets set on a remote Scottish island. Elizabeth Strout, meanwhile, offers “The Things We Never Say,” a heartfelt tale rooted in small-town New England life.
James previously won the Booker in 2015 for “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” while Stuart claimed the prize in 2020 for “Shuggie Bain.” Strout’s “Oh William!” reached the finalist stage in 2022, and she earned the Pulitzer Prize for fiction back in 2009 for “Olive Kitteridge.”
The longlist also highlights three debut authors. Turkish-American writer Kenan Orhan is recognized for “The Renovation,” a family history story. British author Rebecca Perry appears with “May We Feed the King,” a tale spanning Medieval to modern times. Ireland’s Djamel White rounds out the debut trio with “All Them Dogs,” a thriller set in the Dublin criminal underworld.
At 28 years old, White is the youngest author on the list. The oldest is 81-year-old M. John Harrison, whose postapocalyptic novel “The End of Everything” stands out as a rare science fiction entry to earn a spot on the Booker longlist.
The remaining contenders are Chloe Aridjis with “The Shadow of the Object,” Luke Kennard’s “Black Bag,” Missouri Williams’ “The Vivisectors,” Emma Cline’s “Switzy,” Makenna Goodman’s “Helen of Nowhere,” and Gwendoline Riley’s “The Palm House.”
Beard explained that the five jurors — which include Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and American novelist Patricia Lockwood — deliberately moved away from the idea of a typical Booker selection. Rather than gravitating toward something “slightly serious, about to be classic,” the panel sought out novels pushing the boundaries of human perspective.
“Sometimes they’re using humor, sometimes it’s pathos, sometimes there’s shock value,” Beard said. “They’re risk-takers. They are dynamite. They say ‘Come on, try seeing it a different way.’”
The Booker Prize was founded in 1969 and is known for its ability to transform a writer’s career. It is open to novels from any country, provided they are published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. Last year’s prize went to “Flesh” by Hungarian-British author David Szalay.
Judges will trim the field to six finalists on September 22, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on November 9.
