UK's Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker Prize for 'Orbital'

NEWS WIRES

12 November 2024 at 10:21 pm·1-min read

British writer and Booker Prize 2024 shortlisted author Samantha Harvey poses during the Booker Prize 2024 Award photo call event at the Southbank centre, central London, November 11, 2024.

UK author Samantha Harvey, one of a record five women shortlisted for the Booker Prize, won the coveted award on Tuesday for her fifth novel, a "space pastoral" titled "Orbital", becoming the first woman to win the award since Margaret Atwood in 2019.

British writer Samantha Harvey won the prestigious Booker Prize on Tuesday for her short novel following six astronauts as they contemplate Earth from the International Space Station.

Spanning the course of a single day, Harvey's "Orbital" tracks astronauts from Japan, Russia, the United States, Britain and Italy as they observe and reflect on their home planet, touching on themes of mourning, desire and the climate crisis.

The Booker, which comes with a 50,000 pound ($64,000) cash prize, has launched careers and courted controversy since its creation in 1969.

Past laureates include Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Julian Barnes and Kazuo Ishiguro.

"I was not expecting that," Harvey said upon learning of her win, the first by a woman since Atwood was recognised in 2019 for "The Testaments" alongside Bernardine Evaristo for "Girl, Woman, Other".

In her acceptance speech, Harvey dedicated the prize to "everybody who does speak for and not against the Earth; for and not against the dignity of other humans, other life; and all the humans who speak for and call for and work for peace".

'Everyone and no one'

Percival Everett rounded out the shortlist with his novel "James".

PA Media: UK News
Samantha Harvey becomes first woman since 2019 to win Booker Prize
Her book Orbital, about astronauts looking down at Earth, was named as the winner of the £50,000 prize.
The Independent
Liz Truss spent final days in office ‘preparing for Putin to fire nuclear weapons’
Truss spent hours studying weather data and wind directions amid fears the wrong weather conditions could have a ‘direct fall-out effect on Britain’, book claims
People
Some “Harry Potter” Fans Floored to Just Now Discover Difference Between U.K. and U.S. Editions of First Film
The first film and book call their central magical objects "the philosopher's stone" in the United Kingdom, and "the sorcerer's stone" in the United States
The Independent
George RR Martin teases potential new Game of Thrones project with Maisie Williams
Williams played Arya Stark in Game of Thrones for eight seasons
Time
'Long Island' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
Here's why it made the list
Time
'Absolution' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
Here's why it made the list
The Guardian
‘Go to hell’: how Project 2025 chief kicked the Guardian out of book event
Heritage Foundation staff member, introducing Kevin Roberts to the reporter, says: ‘You’ve got two minutes with our best friend Adam from the Guardian’
The Hill
Hundreds of books pulled from Florida school libraries: Officials
Hundreds of books were removed from shelves at Florida schools, according to a list compiled by the state’s Department of Education for the 2023-24 school year. The list shows more than 700 books were “removed or discontinued,” an increase from the 400 last year. The department said the books were removed due to an objection…
Reuters
British writer Harvey wins Booker Prize for space story 'Orbital'
Britain's Samantha Harvey won the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel 'Orbital', a story about a single day aboard the International Space Station which she wrote during COVID-19 lockdowns. The novel, Harvey's fifth, was the top selling book on the shortlist of six finalists and has sold more copies than the past three Booker Prize winners combined, as readers lapped up her depiction of earth's beauty as seen from space. Past winners of the prestigious Booker, which is open to works of fiction written in English, include Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Yann Martel.
Associated Press
Percival Everett's 'James' is a finalist for Carnegie Medal for fiction
Percival Everett's “James” has received yet another literary nomination. Everett's reworking of Mark Twain's “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is among the finalists for an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, $5,000 honors for fiction and nonfiction presented by the American Library Association. “James” already is a finalist for the National Book Award and the Booker Prize and has won the Kirkus Prize for fiction.
Evening Standard
OPINION - The Standard View: Venues shutting early makes London less fun
There is an unwritten rule when it comes to being young. Except, that social contract appears to be breaking down, at least in the capital. A new survey from YouGov, commissioned by house party hospitality group Little Door & Co, finds that nearly half of Londoners have been forced to end a night out earlier than they wanted.
The Northern Echo
How photographing 100 dogs in town centre turned into charity fundraising effort
What started as a hobby project for Masham Photographic Club has led to the publication of a book that they are selling to benefit three charities.
INSIDER
A London chef criticized diners who just get water and share dishes. He says it's about the atmosphere, not the money.
A London restaurateur's complaint about diners who don't spend much has sparked debate online, amid a tough time for the hospitality industry.
Bournemouth Echo UK
The legendary writer immortalised by a Bournemouth pub
Mary Shelley, the author of the groundbreaking Gothic novel Frankenstein, is often associated with the tempestuous lives and tragic deaths of the Romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron.
Indiewire
Lena Dunham to Write Movie About FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried for A24 and Apple
Dunham will adapt "The Big Short" author Michael Lewis' "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon" for the big screen.
Town & Country
Queen Camilla Gradually Returns to Work After Chest Infection
The Queen’s program has been modified this week for the benefit of her recovery.
Oxford Mail
Oxford book fair will attract more than 100 authors
The Oxford Indie Book Fair is expected to attract more than 100 authors
The Hollywood Reporter
How ‘The Penguin’ Succeeds as a Comic Book Adaptation in an Era of So-Called Fatigue
The hit Max series dances in and out of the character’s comic, TV and cinematic history to create a compelling vision of one of Batman’s most iconic rogues.
HuffPost UK
Tory Gloom As Gaffe-Prone Kemi Badenoch Endures Another Miserable PMQs
The new Tory leader walked straight into a trap laid by Keir Starmer.
HuffPost UK
Starmer Skewers Nigel Farage Over All His US Trips By Mentioning His Least Favourite Issue
But the PMQs jibe was so good, even the Reform UK leader could not help laughing.

Boots' Showstopper Beauty Box is back with 26 luxury products and a £363 saving

UK's Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker Prize for 'Orbital'

'Everyone and no one'

Latest stories

Samantha Harvey becomes first woman since 2019 to win Booker Prize

Liz Truss spent final days in office ‘preparing for Putin to fire nuclear weapons’

Some “Harry Potter” Fans Floored to Just Now Discover Difference Between U.K. and U.S. Editions of First Film

George RR Martin teases potential new Game of Thrones project with Maisie Williams

'Long Island' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

'Absolution' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

‘Go to hell’: how Project 2025 chief kicked the Guardian out of book event

Hundreds of books pulled from Florida school libraries: Officials

British writer Harvey wins Booker Prize for space story 'Orbital'

Percival Everett's 'James' is a finalist for Carnegie Medal for fiction

OPINION - The Standard View: Venues shutting early makes London less fun

How photographing 100 dogs in town centre turned into charity fundraising effort

A London chef criticized diners who just get water and share dishes. He says it's about the atmosphere, not the money.

The legendary writer immortalised by a Bournemouth pub

Lena Dunham to Write Movie About FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried for A24 and Apple

Queen Camilla Gradually Returns to Work After Chest Infection

Oxford book fair will attract more than 100 authors

How ‘The Penguin’ Succeeds as a Comic Book Adaptation in an Era of So-Called Fatigue

Tory Gloom As Gaffe-Prone Kemi Badenoch Endures Another Miserable PMQs

Starmer Skewers Nigel Farage Over All His US Trips By Mentioning His Least Favourite Issue