The 2026 shortlisted books are: The End of Everything by M. John Harrison; The Disappearers by Marlon James; Black Bag by Luke Kennard; May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry; The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout and John of John by Douglas Stuart.
This shortlist has been selected by the 2026 judging panel, chaired by celebrated classicist, writer and broadcaster Mary Beard. She is joined by award-winning poet, writer and educator Raymond Antrobus; musician, writer and broadcaster Jarvis Cocker; journalist, editor and critic Rebecca Liu; and Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist, poet and essayist Patricia Lockwood.
Find out more about the Booker Prize shortlisted writers. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on 9 November.
This event will be chaired by Sara Collins who was a Booker Prize judge in 2024. She is the author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton, which won the Costa First Novel Award in 2019. She is also a literary critic, screenwriter, broadcaster and podcaster.