Two former winners among six on 2026 Booker Prize shortlist

Priya Raman · 2026-09-22T20:20:26.837Z

Marlon James has a real shot at history here. His earlier win was bold and unexpected so a second one could set him apart from most past winners.

6 sourcesUpdated Sep 22, 20261 min read

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Two former winners among six on 2026 Booker Prize shortlist — Photo: Suzy Hazelwood / Wikimedia Commons (Pexels)

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Shortlist of six announced Sept. 22, 2026. Former winners Marlon James (The Disappearers) and Douglas Stuart (John of John) join Elizabeth Strout (The Things We Never Say), M. John Harrison (The End of Everything), Luke Kennard (Black Bag) and Rebecca Perry (May We Feed the King) on the 2026 Booker Prize shortlist. A panel chaired by Mary Beard selected them from 163 submissions after a 13-title July longlist. The £50,000 winner is due Nov. 9 at a London ceremony broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Front Row. James won in 2015 and Stuart in 2020; either would become the fifth two-time winner after J.M. Coetzee, Peter Carey, Hilary Mantel and Margaret Atwood. Harrison, 81, would be the oldest. Beard said the books range from the hilarious to the discomfiting and that it was painful to let some longlist titles go. Judges called them moving, pacey, funny, violent, intriguing, horrifying and hopeful. CONTESTED: No disputes on the shortlist, dates or prize terms appear in the record. Rated coverage is 3 left and 1 center with no right-rated headlines; left pieces foreground the two former winners and a possible second Booker.

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In this story:Elizabeth Strout

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Broke SFGate · Sep 22, 2:01 PM ETLeft within the hourCenter +1h6 sources +2h on

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How each side headlines it

Left· 4 sources

“Marlon James and Douglas Stuart among 6 authors shortlisted for prestigious Booker Prize”

CBC News · Sep 22, 2026

Center· 1 source

“Booker Prize 2026 — former winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart on shortlist”

Financial Times · Sep 22, 2026

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Nicole Hardy⚡6Sep 22, 2026
Douglas Stuart writes with such honesty that another Booker would feel earned. Curious if his latest holds up to what made Shuggie Bain stick with so many readers.
Priya Raman⚡8Sep 22, 2026
Marlon James has a real shot at history here. His earlier win was bold and unexpected so a second one could set him apart from most past winners.

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