Wednesday, November 11, 2026

British author Samantha Harvey wins Booker Prize

‘Orbital’, considered the biggest-selling book on the shortlist in the UK, explores the world from a different perspective.

• November 13, 2024
British writer, Samantha Harvey
British writer, Samantha Harvey

A British writer, Samantha Harvey, has bagged the much-coveted 2024 Booker Prize award for her book ‘Orbital’.

Ms Harvey was announced on Tuesday at a ceremony in London’s Old Billingsgate and will take home a whopping £50,000.

In his comment, the chair of the judges, Edmund de Waal, described ‘Orbital’ as a “book about a wounded world.”

He noted that the judges were fascinated by its beauty, ambition and language.

Speaking with BBC News shortly after the announcement, Harvey expressed his happiness, saying it would change her life.

She dedicated the award to “all the people who speak for and not against the earth and work for and not against peace.”

“Why would anybody want to hear from a woman at her desk in Wiltshire writing about space when people have actually been there?” said Ms Harvey. “I lost my nerve with it and I thought I didn’t have the authority to write it.”

‘Orbital’, considered the biggest-selling book on the shortlist in the UK, explores the world from a different perspective.

The story takes place over a single day in the life of six astronauts and cosmonauts.

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