On Tuesday, British author Samantha Harvey clinched the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction with her enchanting novella, "Orbital," which unfolds aboard the International Space Station, contemplating the serene beauty and fragile nature of our planet Earth. Harvey was honored with a £50,000 ($64,000) award for her "space pastoral," a narrative weaving the tales of six astronauts orbiting Earth, penned during the COVID-19 pandemic's isolating lockdowns.
Within the confines of their floating home, the characters experience 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a single day, their paths inextricably linked as they gaze in awe at the ever-shifting vistas of our globe. Harvey, who delved into astronauts' memoirs and live feeds from the space station for inspiration, commented, "Gazing at Earth from space is akin to a child's first glimpse of herself in a mirror, realizing the reflection is an extension of self. Our actions upon Earth echo within ourselves."
She emphasized that while "Orbital" doesn't explicitly discuss climate change, "the view from space implicitly underscores the reality of human-induced climate change." Dedicating her victory to those who champion the Earth, human dignity, and peace, Harvey said, "This prize belongs to all who speak for, not against, the Earth; for, not against, the dignity of all life and humanity. To all who strive for peace — this is your triumph."
Edmund de Waal, writer and artist, and chair of the five-member judging panel, hailed "Orbital" as a "miraculous tale" that reimagines our world as strange and novel. Gaby Wood, CEO of the Booker Prize Foundation, remarked that in "a year marked by geopolitical turmoil and poised to be the hottest on record," Harvey's work stands as "a beacon of hope, both timely and timeless."
Harvey, who has authored four novels and a memoir on insomnia, becomes the first British writer to win the Booker since 2020. The prize, open to English-language writers regardless of nationality, has a legacy of launching writers into the literary stratosphere. Past laureates include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Hilary Mantel. De Waal applauded Harvey's "crystalline prose" and the "breadth" of her concise novel — a mere 136 pages in its UK paperback edition, making it one of the shortest Booker winners ever. "This is a book that rewards lingering over its words," he noted.
He revealed that the panel of judges had dedicated an entire day to deliberating over their choice, ultimately converging on a unanimous verdict. Harvey emerged victorious against a formidable quintet of finalists hailing from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands, who were selected from a competitive pool of 156 novels submitted by various publishers.
American author Percival Everett had garnered significant buzz and was a bookies' favorite to clinch the prize with his novel "James," a reimagining of Mark Twain's classic "Huckleberry Finn" narrated from the perspective of its central Black character, the enslaved Jim. Among the other esteemed finalists were American writer Rachel Kushner's espionage tale "Creation Lake," Canadian Anne Michaels' lyrical novel "Held," Charlotte Wood's Australian epic "Stone Yard Devotional," and "The Safekeep" by Yael van der Wouden, marking the first time a Dutch author had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
Harvey's triumph makes her the first female Booker winner since 2019, amidst a shortlist that boasted five women—the largest number in the prize's 55-year legacy. De Waal emphasized that considerations such as the authors' gender or nationality constituted mere "background noise," having no bearing on the judges' decision. "There was absolutely no question of tokenism, hidden agendas, or extraneous factors. It was solely about the merit of the novel," he asserted prior to the awards ceremony held at Old Billingsgate, a grandiose former Victorian fish market nestled in central London.
Established in 1969, the Booker Prize is an esteemed accolade open to novels originally written in English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. Last year's laureate was Irish writer Paul Lynch, whose post-democratic dystopian novel "Prophet Song" captivated audiences. Lynch presented Harvey with her Booker trophy during the ceremony, cautioning her that her life was poised for a dramatic transformation thanks to the significant publicity boost that accompanies the award.
Harvey expressed her "overwhelming" joy while remaining grounded about the financial implications of her prize money. She humorously quipped about setting aside "some for taxes, buying a new bike, and then the rest—I'm dreaming of a trip to Japan."
