Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker prize for ‘Orbital’
British author Samantha Harvey has won the prestigious 2024 Booker Prize for her novel “Orbital”, a hauntingly beautiful exploration of a single day aboard the International Space Station. The novel, which Harvey penned during the COVID-19 lockdown, was lauded by judges for its “intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world.”
Harvey’s fifth novel, “Orbital”, stands out for its striking portrayal of Earth from space. The 136-page book, which follows astronauts and cosmonauts as they circle the globe in the course of 24 hours, has captivated readers and critics alike. Described as a meditation on isolation and human connection, the novel features its characters witnessing sixteen sunrises and sunsets as they “trapped in a tin can” orbit the planet, a metaphor Harvey has said mirrors her own experience of lockdown.
The story, already a commercial success, has sold more copies than the past three Booker Prize winners combined, making it the top-selling book on the shortlist of six finalists. Its portrayal of the beauty of Earth from low orbit resonated deeply with readers who turned to the novel during a time of global crisis.
“This book is about everyone and no one,” said Edmund de Waal, chair of the 2024 Booker Prize judges. “With her language of lyricism and acuity, Harvey makes our world strange and new for us.”
The Booker Prize, now in its 55th year, celebrates the best in contemporary English-language fiction. Past winners have included literary giants such as Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Yann Martel.
In her acceptance speech, Harvey explained that “Orbital” emerged from her experience of watching Earth’s beauty from space-themed documentaries and live feeds during the pandemic. “The astronauts in my book are, in a way, just like all of us were—looking at the world through a screen, cut off from the lives we once knew,” she said.
As part of her win, Harvey will receive the £50,000 prize money. In a lighthearted moment, she revealed to the BBC that she plans to spend the award on a new bike.
Samantha Harvey’s ‘Orbital’ has captured the imagination of readers worldwide, offering a poignant, poetic reflection on human resilience, isolation, and the fragile beauty of our planet.
