Douglas Stuart and Marlon James, who have both previously won the Booker Prize, have been named on the 2026 longlist. They are joined by three-time nominee Elizabeth Strout in a selection described as "rewards risk".
The 13 novels chosen for the 2026 prize, announced today, feature authors of seven nationalities across three continents, with almost half from the UK. Ten of the writers are appearing on a Booker longlist for the first time, including debut novelists Kenan Orhan, Rebecca Perry, and Djamel White.
The judging panel is chaired by classicist and broadcaster Mary Beard, with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker also among the judges. Beard stated that each book on the longlist "brilliantly musters the power of words on the page to take the reader to new places, to see old places from new angles, to change minds."
Marlon James is longlisted for his fifth novel, The Disappearers, while Douglas Stuart returns with his third novel, John of John. Should either win again, they would become only the fifth author to win the Booker twice. Elizabeth Strout receives her third nomination for The Things We Never Say.