British Author Samantha Harvey Awarded 2024 Booker Prize
British author Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel Orbital, a story about astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they orbit Earth. The award ceremony took place at Old Billingsgate in London, where Harvey’s novel stood out for its unique setting and exploration of humanity from the perspective of space.
The novel has achieved remarkable success, with 29,000 copies sold — more than the last three Booker winners combined prior to their wins.
In her acceptance speech, Harvey dedicated her award to everyone who advocates for the Earth, human dignity, and global peace. A former museum worker turned novelist, she expressed her hopes to use the £50,000 prize money to take time off to sculpt and indulge in a few personal luxuries, like Danish licorice.
Orbital marks a significant achievement for Harvey, who was previously longlisted for the Booker in 2009 for her debut novel The Wilderness. She now joins the ranks of 19 women who have won the prestigious award since its inception in 1969.
Harvey nearly abandoned Orbital during the writing process, questioning why anyone would want to read about space through the lens of a writer in Wiltshire imagining the astronaut experience. However, she persevered, creating a 136-page novel that unfolds over 24 hours as astronauts make 16 orbits around Earth.
Its concise length makes it the second-shortest book ever to win the Booker, illustrating how brevity can still capture depth and impact.
Edmund de Waal, the artist and chairman of the Booker judging panel, praised Orbital for its compelling nature and profound resonance. He highlighted Harvey’s skillful, lyrical language that transforms the familiar into something strange and new, capturing the panel’s unanimous admiration for the novel’s beauty and ambition.
The judges sought a book that moved them deeply and felt Harvey’s work met their criteria with its explorative and poetic qualities.
“We were determined to find a book that moved us, a book that had capaciousness and resonance, that we are compelled to share,” he said.
“We wanted everything. Orbital is our book. With her language of lyricism and acuity, Harvey makes our world strange and new for us.
“Our unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition.”
Many congratulations to Samantha Harvey on having won the Booker Prize Award 2024 with your brilliant novel, Orbital!
– Camilla R pic.twitter.com/1m2XNAd8Ep
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 12, 2024
This year’s Booker Prize saw a record number of female nominees, with five women on the shortlist, including Harvey, Yael van der Wouden, Rachel Kushner, Anne Michaels, and Charlotte Wood. The other shortlisted author, Percival Everett, joined the prestigious lineup, making it a historic year for female representation in one of the literary world’s most respected awards.
Before the ceremony, the shortlisted authors attended a reception with Queen Camilla, marking her first public appearance since recovering from a chest infection. The royal family celebrated Harvey’s win, with Queen Camilla sharing her congratulations in a statement on the royal family’s X account, formerly Twitter, expressing pride in the achievement of all shortlisted authors.
With Orbital, Harvey has not only secured her place in literary history but also contributed to a significant milestone for women writers in the Booker Prize’s legacy. Her work’s success demonstrates the growing diversity in storytelling, as well as the continued relevance of innovative narratives that push the boundaries of both subject matter and perspective.
