# Marlon James and Nicholas Boggs shortlisted for major UK literary prizes

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/our-third-date-was-at-buckingham-palace-marlon-james-and-nicholas-boggs-on-life-as-a-literary-power-couple/
- Published: 2026-10-24T08:00:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-24T09:02:30+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/oct/24/our-third-date-was-at-buckingham-palace-marlon-james-and-nicholas-boggs-on-life-as-a-literary-power-couple
- Topics: Culture

## Key points

- James and Boggs are shortlisted for major literary prizes.
- Their books centre Black queer lives and histories.
- The couple have been together since 2018.

## Summary

Novelist Marlon James and biographer Nicholas Boggs have both been shortlisted for major British literary prizes, with books that bring attention to the lives and histories of Black queer men. The couple discuss how their relationship shapes their work and how they feel about being described as a literary power couple.

James, 55, is shortlisted for the Booker for *The Disappearers*, about Aids-era gay life and homophobia in Jamaica. Boggs, 53, is shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford prize for *Baldwin: A Love Story*, drawing on two decades of research into James Baldwin’s intimate life and creative relationships. The pair have been together since 2018 and met through a dating app while living a few streets apart in Brooklyn.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.