M. John Harrison is the oldest author to win the Booker Prize

The British writer John Harrison (81) receives the renowned Booker Prize for his novel “The End of Everything”. The jury, led by the author and ancient historian Mary Beard, announced this on Monday evening in London. Beard said the jury unanimously decided to award him the internationally renowned literary prize.

“It's a book that will turn you on your head, make you smile mischievously and, surprisingly given the subject matter, leave you with a touch of optimism,” Beard said. The award is endowed with 50,000 pounds (approx. 60,000 euros).

According to The Guardian, Harrison is the first science fiction author to ever win the Booker Prize. But that's not his only record. He is also the oldest author to ever receive this award - his first nomination (Margaret Atwood was 79). His book entitled “The End of Everything” will be published in German on April 22nd.

In his novel “The End of Everything,” the British writer M. John Harrison paints a picture of a Britain after an unspecified catastrophe. The main character, Phillip Tennent, lives on the Kent coast and makes a living by collecting objects that wash up at sea.

When he pulls a mysterious, ever-changing creature out of the water that can mimic human behavior, he finds himself deeper and deeper into a world in which government structures are crumbling, nature is changing, and the boundaries between reality and unreality are blurring.

In a mixture of science fiction, dystopia and social satire, Harrison deals with the fears and uncertainties of the present and the question of how people can live in a world whose collapse has long since begun.

M. John Harrison was born on July 26, 1945 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. He is considered one of the most idiosyncratic British writers of his generation and has made a name for himself in particular as an author of science fiction, fantasy and experimental literature. He published his first short story in 1965.

From 1969 to 1978 he was on the editorial team of the influential British science fiction magazine New Worlds, which significantly influenced the development of the so-called New Wave of science fiction. In addition to his writing work, he made a name for himself as a literary critic and wrote for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Times Literary Supplement, among others.