The Booker Prize, one of Britain’s most prestigious literary competitions, announced the titles that will be part of its 2026 longlist on Tuesday.
Among the nominees are two previous winners, Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, who received the nod for John of John and The Disappearers, respectively.
A total of 13 books form this year’s longlist, comprising authors of seven nationalities across three continents.
English classicist Mary Beard is the chair of this year’s Booker Prize judges.
The academic is joined by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, British poet Raymond Antrobus, American writer Patricia Lockwood and book critic Rebecca Liu.
Beard promises nominated books are ‘dynamite’
“We are confident that our longlist of books has something for everyone,” Beard said.
“[The longlist] brilliantly musters the power of words on the page to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds.
“Books are not mirrors: they don’t simply reflect ourselves back to us.
“One of the many important things about fiction is that it helps us see what it might be like not to be us, to begin to understand the perspectives of others and to imagine what it might be like to see the world differently.
“Great books are not cosy. In their various ways, the novels we have chosen are (we hope) dynamite.”
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Strout makes comeback, three debut novelists
Among this year’s nominees is American author Elizabeth Strout, who received her third Booker nod.
Strout is nominated for The Things We Never Say, her 11th novel.
The book follows a Massachusetts history teacher coming to terms with the post-pandemic world and the anxiety revolving around the then-upcoming 2024 US elections.
Elsewhere, three writers have received a nomination for their debut novels: Kenan Orhan (The Renovation), Rebecca Perry (May We Feed the King) and Djamel White (All Them Dogs).
Other notable works are Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman, which follows a professor exploring a countryside house, and Switzy by The Girls author Emma Cline.
In her new book, Cline follows the last days of a wealthy man as he travels to an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland.
The shortlist will be announced on September 22, with the winner being announced on November 9.
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Booker Prize 2026 longlist in full
The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis
Switzy by Emma Cline
Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman
The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
The Disappearers by Marlon James
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
The Renovation by Kenan Orhan
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
John of John by Douglas Stuart
All Them Dogs by Djamel White
The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams
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