Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, along with Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout, are among the 13 semifinalists for this year's prestigious Booker Prize for fiction. The list, announced Tuesday, includes novels exploring themes from 1980s Jamaica and remote Scottish islands to heartfelt small-town tales.
James, who won the Booker in 2015 for "A Brief History of Seven Killings," is a semifinalist for "The Disappearers." Stuart, a 2020 winner for "Shuggie Bain," is recognized for "John of John." Strout, author of "Oh William!" which was a finalist in 2022, is nominated for "The Things We Never Say."
Judges reviewed 163 novels for the current list, which features authors with roots in Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Turkey, and the United States. This year's selection includes three debut authors: Kenan Orhan for "The Renovation," Rebecca Perry for "May We Feed the King," and Djamel White for "All Them Dogs." At 28, White is the youngest author on the list, while 81-year-old M. John Harrison, a nominee for his postapocalyptic novel "The End of Everything," is the oldest.
Historian Mary Beard, head of the judging panel, described the longlist as literary "dynamite," aiming to highlight novels that "expand the boundaries of how we can think about ourselves in completely different ways." The panel, which includes Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and author Patricia Lockwood, sought out risk-taking works that employ humor, pathos, or shock value.
Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is open to novels published in the U.K. and Ireland, and it is known for transforming writers' careers. The judges will announce the six finalists on September 22, with the winner to be revealed at a ceremony in London on November 9.