Booker Prize 2026 Longlist Announced: Elizabeth Strout, Douglas Stuart, Marlon James Among 13 Nominees

The Booker Prize 2026 longlist, known as the Booker Dozen, has been announced, featuring 13 novels selected from 163 submissions. The list includes Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout for 'The Things We Never Say', which follows a high school history teacher in Massachusetts grappling with post-pandemic anxiety and the 2024 US election. Former winners Douglas Stuart ('John of John') and Marlon James ('The Disappearers') also appear, alongside debut novelists Kenan Orhan and Djamel White. The longlist spans diverse settings: Mexico City, a remote Scottish island, an assisted suicide clinic in Zurich, 1980s Jamaica, and Massachusetts. Chair of judges Mary Beard described the novels as 'dynamite'. The shortlist will be announced on 22 September, with the winner revealed on 9 November. The winning author receives £50,000 and a trophy; shortlisted authors get £2,500 each. Notable absentees include Maggie O'Farrell, Ann Patchett, John Lanchester, Deborah Levy, and Julian Barnes. Last year's prize was won by David Szalay for 'Flesh'.