With her novel “Orbital”, the author won the most prestigious literary prize that can be awarded for fiction in the United Kingdom and Ireland on Tuesday evening, November 13.
The Booker Prize, a prestigious British literary prize, was awarded Tuesday evening to author Samantha Harvey. The Briton was rewarded for her fifth novel, Orbital, which tells the story of a day in the life of six astronauts aboard a space station and which focuses on the place of humans in the universe. A book constructed in almost meditative fragments, which offers a reflection on mourning, desire, and the climate crisis. This year, the competition was predominantly female. She is the first award-winning author since 2019, the year when Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo won the tie.
On stage, during the award ceremony, the novelist confided, moved, that she was “completely outdated”. She said she wanted “dedicate this prize to all those who speak out to defend, and not criticize, our planet, those who speak out to defend the dignity of other human beings and those who speak out and work for peace.” Comments that she made again at a press conference, ensuring that it was impossible for her not to mention “the difficult situation in which the world finds itself”.
Launched in 1969, the Booker Prize rewards each year the author of “best novel written in English”. He has contributed to the success of writers like Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and even 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang. The prize is a reward of around 60,000 euros and the promise of international fame. In France, Samantha Harvey’s work was published in March 2024 and has already received a warm reception from critics.
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