British author Samantha Harvey was awarded the 2024 Booker Prize on November 12 for her novel “Orbital,” set on a space station. The novel, written during the COVID-19 lockdown, depicts six astronauts experiencing 16 sunrises and sunsets in a single day, as they reflect on Earth’s beauty and isolation.

BulletsIn

• Samantha Harvey awarded £50,000 (₹53.7 lakh) Booker Prize for “Orbital”
• Novel focuses on six astronauts orbiting Earth, experiencing confinement and awe
• Written during COVID lockdown, blending isolation themes with space’s vastness
• Described as a “space pastoral” by Harvey, capturing Earth’s fragile beauty
• Judging panel led by Edmund de Waal praised its “miraculous” storytelling
• Book is one of the shortest Booker winners at 136 pages
• Harvey is the first British winner since 2020 and the first female winner since 2019
• Booker Prize renowned for launching literary careers; past winners include Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie
• This year’s shortlist included authors from Canada, USA, Australia, and Netherlands
• Booker Prize founded in 1969, open to English-language novels from UK and Ireland