The prestigious Booker Prize in 2024 was awarded to British author Samantha Harvey for her work “In Orbit,” which tells about the everyday life of astronauts on the ISS. This award has become significant for several reasons, snob.ru reports.

The compact novel of 136 pages became the first work on space topics in the history of the award. In addition, Harvey broke the five-year absence of women among the laureates - the last time a representative of the fair sex received this award was in 2019. The victory brought the writer a cash prize of 50 thousand pounds sterling.

At the center of the story are six astronauts of different nationalities: Americans, Russians, Italians, Japanese and British. While on the orbital station, the heroes not only fulfill their mission, but also reflect on the fate of humanity, observing the Earth from afar.

The chairman of the jury, Edmund de Waal, praised the artistic merits of the work, noting its depth and innovative approach to the study of important issues of our time.

In 2023, the Irish writer Paul Lynch received the prize for his novel “The Song of the Prophet,” which explores the theme of the fight against totalitarianism through the story of one family.