‘Books are not mirrors: they don’t simply reflect ourselves back to us. One of the many important things about fiction is that it helps us see what it might be like not to be us, to begin to understand the perspectives of others, and to imagine what it might be like to see the world differently. Great books are not cosy. In their various ways, the novels we have chosen are (we hope) dynamite’ – Mary Beard A huge thank you to our Booker Prize 2026 judging panel: 〰️ Chair of judges and celebrated classicist, writer and broadcaster, Mary Beard 〰️ Writer and educator, Raymond Antrobus 〰️ Musician, writer and broadcaster, Jarvis Cocker 〰️ Journalist, editor and critic, Rebecca Liu 〰️ Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist, poet and essayist, Patricia Lockwood Here's what they had to say about this year's longlist. --- The Booker Prizes on Instagram: instagram.com/thebookerprizes The Booker Prizes on TikTok: tiktok.com/@thebookerprizes The Booker Prizes on Facebook: facebook.com/TheBookerPriz...