The Booker Prize 2026 longlist is here, and it feels predictable again

It is midsummer, so naturally we have another literary longlist to debate over coffee. The Booker Prize longlist for 2026 was announced on Tuesday, as reported by The Guardian.

Thirteen books made the cut from 163 submissions. Are we supposed to be surprised by the selection? Not really.

Two previous winners are back on the list. Douglas Stuart, who won in 2020, returns with his third book, John of John. Marlon James is also longlisted for The disappearers. Do we really need former winners back in the competition? Maybe the organisers just prefer familiar names.

Elizabeth Strout is nominated for the third time with The things we never say. Her book deals with political life in the United States. Because, of course, every major literary prize feels obliged to include something about American politics.

Ten writers are on the longlist for the first time, including three debuts. Kenan Orhan made the list with The renovation, a story about a woman whose bathroom turns into a prison cell.

The age gap among the selected authors is large. M John Harrison is 81 with his novel The end of everything. Meanwhile, Irish writer Djamel White is only 28 with All them dogs.

The shortlist arrives on 22 September, and the winner gets fifty thousand pounds on 9 November. Will you buy any of these titles, or will they simply sit on your desk to look smart?