Samantha Harvey wins Booker Prize for her space-station novel Orbital

Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on November 12, 2024, for her novel "Orbital," set on the International Space Station. The book, described as a “space pastoral,” explores the lives of six astronauts over a day of sunrises and sunsets. Harvey's win marks her as the first British author to receive the prize since 2020. She was chosen from six finalists, including works by authors from Canada, the U.S., Australia, and the Netherlands, out of 156 submissions. The judging panel, led by Edmund de Waal, praised the novel's writing and depth. This year’s shortlist featured the largest number of female authors in the prize's history, with five women nominated.