The 2026 Booker Prize shortlist has been announced with a marked return to British dominance, featuring four out of six nominated novels from UK writers. This represents a notable shift from last year, when American authors held half of the shortlist positions, and reflects the judges' assessment of contemporary English language fiction's range and strength.

The British nominees include 81-year-old M John Harrison's science-fiction epic "The End of Everything," which would make him the oldest ever Booker Prize winner; Rebecca Perry's debut "May We Feed The King"; Luke Kennard's satirical campus novel "Black Bag"; and Douglas Stuart's "John of John" (Stuart previously won in 2020). They will compete against American author Elizabeth Strout and Jamaican writer Marlon James. A notable aspect of the shortlist is its gender imbalance: only two of the six nominees are women, marking just the second time in a decade that male authors outnumber female ones. The winner will be announced on 9 November at a ceremony in London.