British author Samantha Harvey has made history by winning the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel Orbital, becoming the first author to win the prestigious award with a book set in space. The novel, which is Harvey’s fifth, is a unique and concise work that explores the perspective of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Orbital is a remarkably short novel, spanning just 136 pages and covering a single 24-hour period in the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts. During this time, they witness 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets, observing Earth from a unique vantage point. Harvey described her approach as a “space pastoral,” focusing on the beauty of space and the planet below.
The book has already achieved significant commercial success, becoming the best-selling title on the Booker Prize shortlist and outselling the previous three winners combined. Harvey was announced as the winner at a ceremony in London’s Old Billingsgate, receiving a £50,000 prize.
In her acceptance speech, Harvey dedicated the award to “all the people who speak for and not against the earth and work for and not against peace.” She also shared her initial self-doubt about writing the book, questioning her authority to write about space from her desk in Wiltshire.
The novel was written during the COVID-19 lockdowns, with Harvey drawing parallels between the astronauts’ confined space and the global experience of isolation. Chair of the judges, Edmund de Waal, praised the book as a “book about a wounded world,” highlighting its “beauty and ambition” and lyrical language.
This year’s Booker Prize shortlist was notably diverse, featuring five women out of six nominees – the largest representation of women in the prize’s 55-year history. The other nominated authors included Percival Everett, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, Yael van der Wouden, and Charlotte Wood.
Harvey is no stranger to literary recognition, having previously been longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2009 with her debut novel, The Wilderness. Her win this year marks the first time a woman has won the prize since 2019.
When asked about her plans for the prize money, Harvey lightheartedly mentioned her intention to buy a new bicycle. She expressed being in “complete shock and very overwhelmed” by the win, acknowledging that the award would significantly change her life.
The Booker Prize, which is open to fiction written in English by authors worldwide and published in the UK or Ireland, has a prestigious history of recognizing exceptional literary talent. Previous winners include renowned authors such as Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Bernardine Evaristo, and Salman Rushdie.
