When Samantha Harvey began writing “Orbital,” a novel set aboard the International Space Station, she initially wrote 5,000 words but lost her confidence. She expressed doubts about her qualifications to write about space, stating, “I could never go to space; who am I to do this?”
Harvey returned to the novel during the pandemic, realizing she should not worry about “trespassing in space.” This decision ultimately proved successful, as “Orbital” won the Booker Prize on Tuesday, a prestigious literary award.
Edmund de Waal, the chair of this year’s judging panel, described “Orbital” as a “beautiful, miraculous novel.” The book explores the experiences of astronauts and cosmonauts as they observe multiple sunrises and sunsets while witnessing weather changes across fragile borders and time zones.
De Waal noted that Harvey’s writing transforms the Earth into a subject for contemplation, making it “strange and new.” In her acceptance speech, Harvey dedicated the prize to those who advocate for the Earth and the dignity of all life, emphasizing a call for peace.
Harvey is the first female author to win the Booker Prize since 2019. At 136 pages, “Orbital” is also the second-shortest novel to win since the prize’s inception in 1969.
The novel triumphed over five other shortlisted titles, including Percival Everett’s “James” and Rachel Kushner’s “Creation Lake.” Other nominated works included Anne Michaels’s “Held,” Yael van der Wouden’s “The Safekeep,” and Charlotte Wood’s “Stone Yard Devotional.”
The Booker Prize, which includes a cash award of £50,000 (approximately $64,000), is presented annually for the best novel written in English and published in Britain or Ireland. Since 2014, the prize has been open to authors from outside these regions, increasing its global appeal and impact on book sales.
Last year, Paul Lynch won the award for “Prophet Song,” a novel depicting Ireland's descent into totalitarianism and civil war.
Critics in both Britain and the United States have lauded “Orbital.” A review in The New York Times highlighted the novel’s lack of a traditional plot, focusing instead on astronauts’ daily tasks and vivid descriptions of Earth, stating that “sometimes, wonder and beauty suffice.”
During a recent news conference, de Waal commended the novel for its lyricism and insight, noting a typical sentence where astronauts view Earth as “the face of an exulted lover.”
Harvey, 49, is the author of four previous novels, including “The Wilderness,” which was longlisted for the 2009 Booker Prize, and “The Western Wind,” published in 2018. She also wrote a memoir titled “The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping” in 2020, reflecting on her struggles with insomnia.
While writing “Orbital,” Harvey frequently viewed streaming video from the International Space Station, describing the experience as akin to a child recognizing themselves in a mirror for the first time.