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M John Harrison becomes oldest Booker winner with science fiction novel
M John Harrison has become the oldest author to win the Booker Prize, aged 81, for his 13th novel, *The End of Everything*. It is also the first science-fiction novel to win the award in its 58-year history, bringing a long-established but not widely known literary writer to a broader audience.
Written over about 15 years, the novel is set in a near-future coastal town in Kent, where Britain is disintegrating after an alien invasion. Harrison describes it as a blend of science fiction, fantasy, gothic horror and other forms, and says it explores the collapse of people’s ability to make sense of their world. Its themes include artificial intelligence, environmental breakdown, capitalism, Brexit and the refugee crisis.
In short
- M John Harrison, 81, wins the Booker Prize.
- *The End of Everything* is the first science-fiction Booker winner.
- The novel depicts an invaded, disintegrating Britain.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘We are dream-walking into a desperate situation’: the Booker prize winner on his sci-fi alien invasion wakeup call”.