British author Samantha Harvey has been honored with the Booker Prize for fiction for her novel “Orbital,” a concise yet deeply insightful work that chronicles the experiences of six international astronauts orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station. Harvey secured the £50,000 (€60,000) award for her creation, which she describes as a “space pastoral,” a term she coined during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns when she began writing the book. The narrative unfolds as the confined characters witness 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets within a single day, bound together in close quarters and mesmerized by the Earth’s constantly shifting landscapes.

“To gaze upon the Earth from space is akin to a child peering into a mirror and recognizing for the first time that the reflection is themselves,” Harvey remarked, emphasizing the profound connection between humanity and the planet. Her research for the novel included reading astronaut memoirs and observing the space station’s live feed. “What we inflict upon the Earth, we ultimately inflict upon ourselves,” she added, dedicating the prize to all those who advocate for the Earth and the dignity of all living beings.

“This award is for everyone who speaks and works for peace,” she declared. Gaby Wood, the Booker Prize Foundation’s chief executive, highlighted the winning book’s “hopeful, timely, and timeless” qualities, particularly poignant in a year marked by geopolitical turmoil and record-breaking temperatures.

Harvey, who has authored four previous novels and a memoir on insomnia, is the first British writer to win the Booker since 2020. The prize, open to English-language authors worldwide, is renowned for catapulting writers’ careers. Notable past winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Hilary Mantel. Since its release last November, “Orbital” has sold approximately 29,000 copies, outpacing the combined sales of the previous three Booker Prize winners prior to their accolades.

Harvey’s victory over five other finalists from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands, selected from a pool of 156 novels submitted by publishers, was a significant achievement. The other contenders included Rachel Kushner’s espionage tale “Creation Lake,” Anne Michaels’ lyrical novel “Held,” Charlotte Wood’s Australian epic “Stone Yard Devotional,” and Yael van der Wouden’s “The Safekeep,” alongside Percival Everett’s reinterpretation of Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn.”

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