The Guardian has published its guide to the biggest books of autumn 2026, spotlighting fiction from Booker-listed authors alongside anticipated memoirs from Hollywood and stage figures such as Michael Douglas, Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench. The preview highlights a season heavy with big literary names returning to familiar territory, from historical fiction to family sagas, giving readers an early roadmap of what to expect on shelves through September and October.

Among the fiction highlights are Marlon James's "The Disappearers", a return to Jamaica already longlisted for the Booker prize, and Emma Cline's "Switzy", also Booker-longlisted, about a man travelling to a Zurich clinic amid dementia. Other notable titles include Colm Tóibín's "The Bridge", a sequel set in the Pyrenees; China Miéville's decade-in-the-making 1,000-page fantasy "The Rouse"; Rose Tremain's "The Housekeeper", reimagining Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca; and Barbara Kingsolver's "Partita", a quieter follow-up to her Pulitzer-winning "Demon Copperhead". Further releases from Louisa Young, Louise Kennedy, AK Blakemore and Min Jin Lee round out a strong list of literary fiction due between early September and mid-October.