Booker Prize 2026: Marlon James, Douglas Stuart and Elizabeth Strout among 13 semifinalists
The 2026 Booker Prize longlist of 13 semifinalists has been announced, featuring a diverse group of authors including past winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart. The list, described by judges as 'dynamite,' includes works ranging from dystopian science fiction to thrillers and family dramas.
Why it matters
The Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards globally, and its longlist significantly influences literary trends and book sales for the featured authors.
Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart are in the running again for the prestigious fiction award, alongside Dublin gangs, dystopian science fiction and the New England characters of Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout.
Judges read 163 novels to come up with the 13 semifinalists announced Tuesday (July 28, 2026) for the £50,000 ($66,000) Booker Prize, a list described by historian Mary Beard, head of the judging panel, as literary “dynamite.”
The list includes James’ “The Disappearers,” about a group of gay men in a hostile 1980s Jamaica; Stuart’s “ John of John,” a story of father-son secrets on a remote Scottish island; and Strout’s heartfelt small-town tale “The Things We Never Say.”
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