Two former winners lead the Booker Prize 2026 longlist
Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, both past winners, are among thirteen writers on the 2026 Booker Prize longlist chosen by a panel chaired by Mary Beard.
The longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize was announced on 28 July 2026. The judges are Mary Beard (chair), Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood, who between them read 163 submitted books.
The thirteen novels are 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 and The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams.
Marlon James won the prize in 2015 and Douglas Stuart in 2020; Elizabeth Strout is on her third Booker nomination. The authors range in age from 28 to 81, and if M John Harrison were to win he would be the oldest recipient in the prize's history. The shortlist was scheduled for 22 September and the winner for 9 November 2026.
The list mixes very familiar names with first novels and some openly odd, experimental books. That balance matters. A prize that only confirmed existing reputations would do little for readers; one that ignored them would lose authority. Writers of unconventional fiction may take some comfort from a list that makes room for both.
Source: Publishing Perspectives: Judges reveal the longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize.