For the first time in history, a Booker Prize was awarded to a novel about aliens and disaster.
British author Michael John Harrison won the Booker Prize for his satirical mystery novel The End of Everything. This decision became a precedent for the prestigious prize: for the first time in the history of the prize, a work representing the science fiction genre won.
The book takes place on the British shores of the English Channel in the near future after a global catastrophe has destroyed the normal social structure. The plot explores the subjects of the invasion of mysterious alien creatures, the crisis of rational thinking, the destructive effect of the digital environment on society and environmental problems. The chairman of the jury, historian Mary Bird, described the novel as a subtle look at modern politics through a futuristic prism, emphasizing the motif of social confusion in the face of incomprehensible changes.
The author himself, who became the oldest winner of the award during its presentation, beat out serious competitors in the finals, including Pulitzer Prize winners and former Booker winners. Commenting on receiving the award, Harrison emphasized that his novel proves the conventionality of genre frameworks in modern literature, combining several directions in one narrative.
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