Booker Prize longlist names Marlon James

The Booker Prize announced its 2026 longlist on Tuesday, July 28, selecting 13 novels and putting former winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart back in contention. The list, chosen by a judging panel chaired by classicist and broadcaster Mary Beard, also includes previous shortlisted author Elizabeth Strout and three debut novelists. Organizers said 10 of the 13 writers are appearing on the Booker longlist for the first time. The winner of the prize will receive £50,000, while each other shortlisted author receives £2,500. ### Which writers are drawing the most attention on the list? Marlon James and Douglas Stuart are the most immediately recognizable returning winners on the 2026 list. James won the Booker in 2015 for *A Brief History of Seven Killings*, while Stuart won in 2020 for *Shuggie Bain*. Elizabeth Strout, who has previously been shortlisted, is also among the better-known names. (thebookerprizes.com) Marlon James is longlisted this year for *The Disappearers*, a novel set in late-1980s Kingston that follows eight male actors rehearsing what is billed as Jamaica’s first openly gay play. Douglas Stuart is longlisted for *John of John*. The official Booker materials describe this year’s field as spanning humour, heartbreak, satire and surreality. (thebookerprizes.com) ### How broad is the 2026 longlist? The 2026 “Booker Dozen” includes authors representing seven nationalities and three continents, according to the Booker Prize press release. The majority of the writers are from the United Kingdom, and the list ranges from a debut novel by a 28-year-old to the 13th novel by an 81-year-old. (thebookerprizes.com) Three debut novelists made the cut, and 10 of the 13 authors are first-time Booker longlistees. The full list includes Chloe Aridjis, Emma Cline, Makenna Goodman, M. John Harrison, Marlon James, Luke Kennard, Kenan Orhan, Rebecca Perry, Gwendoline Riley, Elizabeth Strout, Douglas Stuart, Djamel White and Missouri Williams. (thebookerprizes.com) ### What did the judges say they were looking for? Mary Beard said the judges chose novelists who “brilliantly muster the power of words to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds.” The Booker Prize press release said the selected books offer fresh takes on forms including dystopian science fiction, the campus novel and the crime thriller. (thebookerprizes.com) The judging panel for 2026 is chaired by Beard and includes Raymond Antrobus, Jarvis Cocker, Rebecca Liu and Patricia Lockwood. The Booker Prize said the panel selected the longlist from eligible novels published in the U.K. and Ireland during the prize year. ### What does a longlist spot mean for James and Stuart? Only four writers have won the Booker Prize twice, according to Booker-related coverage summarizing the prize’s history. (thebookerprizes.com) That means James and Stuart are now in position to try to join that group if they advance from the longlist and then win. (thebookerprizes.com) The Booker Prize website says the award has been recognizing a single work of fiction for more than 55 years. The prize is open to novels written in English and published in the U.K. or Ireland, and organizers say both shortlisted writers and the eventual winner typically see a large increase in readership. ### When is the next cut in the process? (thebookerprizes.com) The Booker Prize said the shortlist of six books will be announced on September 22, 2026, at a public event at the Southbank Centre in London featuring all five judges in conversation. The winner will then be announced in October, according to the prize website. (thebookerprizes.com 1) (thebookerprizes.com 2)