Booker Prize Winners: Every Winning Novel from 1969 to 2025
The Booker Prize is the leading literary prize in the United Kingdom. It is given each year for a novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. Since 2014 authors of any nationality can win, so the list runs from Britain and Ireland to India, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, the United States and beyond.
Choose it when you want a novel that is ambitious but still a story worth following. Winners tend to be literary fiction with a strong voice, from historical novels to modern family dramas. Every entry below carries a one-line hook and a note on what the book gives you.
Best for: Readers who enjoy literary fiction in English from anywhere in the world.
- Awarded by
- The Booker Prize Foundation, in London.
- Since
- 1969. First called the Booker-McConnell Prize, and from 2002 to 2019 the Man Booker Prize.
- Joint winners
- 1974, 1992 and 2019, when two books shared the prize.
- 1970
- A rule change left books published in 1970 out of the prize. In 2010 they were judged as the Lost Man Booker Prize, and Troubles by J. G. Farrell won.
- This list
- Winners from 1969 to 2025, newest first.
- Source
- thebookerprizes.com
61 books
Booker Prize · 2025FleshDavid Szalay
Literary Fiction · MelancholicA Hungarian teenager's life unfolds from a small town to the wealthy circles of London
What you get: A restrained, absorbing story that lets you live alongside its hero and feel the weight of small choices.
Booker Prize · 2024OrbitalSamantha HarveyLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulSix astronauts circle the Earth sixteen times in a single day on the International Space Station
What you get: Gorgeous, meditative writing that gives you a new sense of wonder about our planet.
Booker Prize · 2023Prophet SongPaul LynchLiterary Fiction · TenseIn a near-future Ireland sliding into tyranny, a mother tries to keep her family safe
What you get: A gripping, emotionally intense story that makes you feel what a family would do to protect each other.
Booker Prize · 2022The Seven Moons of Maali AlmeidaShehan KarunatilakaLiterary Fiction · DarkA murdered war photographer wakes in the afterlife with seven moons to find his killer
What you get: A bold, imaginative afterlife mystery full of wit, color and unexpected feeling.
Booker Prize · 2021The PromiseDamon GalgutLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA white South African family keeps failing to keep a promise to its Black servant, across four funerals
What you get: A beautifully constructed story across decades that stays with you.
Booker Prize · 2020Shuggie BainDouglas StuartLiterary Fiction · DarkA boy in 1980s Glasgow cares for his alcoholic mother
What you get: A compassionate, vivid story that moves you and shows the strength of a child's loyalty.
Booker Prize · 2019The TestamentsMargaret AtwoodLiterary Fiction · TenseFifteen years after The Handmaid's Tale, three women tell the story of Gilead's decline
What you get: A gripping, fast-moving story that expands a famous world and keeps you turning pages.
Booker Prize · 2019Girl, Woman, OtherBernardine EvaristoLiterary Fiction · WarmTwelve characters, mostly Black British women, connect across a century
What you get: A joyful, generous chorus of voices that celebrates life, friendship and change.
Booker Prize · 2018MilkmanAnna BurnsLiterary Fiction · TenseA young woman is pursued by a paramilitary man in an unnamed city divided by conflict
What you get: A bold, stream-of-thought narrator who pulls you in and keeps you thinking about her world.
Booker Prize · 2017Lincoln in the BardoGeorge Saunders
Historical Fiction · MelancholicAbraham Lincoln visits his dead son's tomb, and the ghosts in the graveyard watch
What you get: A moving, original story told through a chorus of voices, full of tenderness and wonder.
Booker Prize · 2016The SelloutPaul BeattyLiterary Fiction · DarkA Black farmer in Los Angeles tries to bring back segregation to save his town
What you get: A fast, inventive comedy that gives you a lot to think about.
Booker Prize · 2015A Brief History of Seven KillingsMarlon JamesLiterary Fiction · DarkMany voices tell the story of the attempt on Bob Marley's life and its aftermath
What you get: A vivid, energetic story with a rich sense of music, place and history.
Booker Prize · 2014The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthRichard FlanaganHistorical Fiction · DarkAn Australian surgeon on the Thai-Burma railway looks back on captivity and a lost love
What you get: A powerful, lyrical novel that makes you feel the strength of the human spirit.
Booker Prize · 2013The LuminariesEleanor CattonHistorical Fiction · EpicTwelve men meet in a New Zealand gold-rush hotel to piece together a night of mysterious events
What you get: A grand, cleverly constructed puzzle with a large cast and a rich sense of time and place.
Booker Prize · 2012Bring Up the BodiesHilary MantelHistorical Fiction · TenseThomas Cromwell engineers the fall of Anne Boleyn
What you get: A tense, vivid story of palace schemes, told closely through a clever central character.
Booker Prize · 2011The Sense of an EndingJulian BarnesLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulA retired man receives a mysterious bequest that makes him reexamine his school friendships
What you get: A compact, thought-provoking story with a quiet twist that makes you reconsider your own memories.
Booker Prize · 2010The Finkler QuestionHoward JacobsonLiterary Fiction · LightTwo widowers and an old teacher meet for dinner in London, and one is mugged
What you get: A witty, humane story that makes you laugh and think.
Booker Prize · 2009Wolf HallHilary MantelHistorical Fiction · EpicThomas Cromwell rises from a blacksmith's son to Henry VIII's most trusted adviser
What you get: Rich atmosphere and a protagonist you cannot help admiring. It makes history feel alive and present.
Booker Prize · 2008The White TigerAravind AdigaLiterary Fiction · DarkA village boy becomes a driver in Delhi and writes a letter explaining how he became an entrepreneur
What you get: A lively, darkly comic voice that grabs you at once and carries you through a clever, quick read.
Booker Prize · 2007The GatheringAnne EnrightLiterary Fiction · DarkA woman goes through her brother's wake and remembers what happened in her grandmother's house
What you get: A raw, beautifully written portrait of a family looking back.
Booker Prize · 2006The Inheritance of LossKiran DesaiLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA retired judge in the Himalayas, his orphaned granddaughter and a cook's son in New York
What you get: A vivid, moving novel set in the Himalayas that draws you into its characters.
Booker Prize · 2005The SeaJohn BanvilleLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA widowed art historian returns to the seaside town where he spent a childhood summer
What you get: A lyrical, reflective story of a man looking back at a childhood summer.
Booker Prize · 2004The Line of BeautyAlan HollinghurstLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulA young gay man lodges with a Conservative MP's family in Thatcher's London
What you get: A stylish, absorbing story full of period flavor and sharp observation.
Booker Prize · 2003Vernon God LittleDBC PierreLiterary Fiction · DarkA teenage boy in small-town Texas is blamed after a school shooting
What you get: A sharp, energetic novel that grabs you with its voice from the first page.
Booker Prize · 2002Life of PiYann MartelLiterary Fiction · HopefulA boy survives a shipwreck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger
What you get: A thrilling, original adventure on the open sea with a vividly drawn companion. It is full of wonder and leaves you with a story you will want to talk about.
Booker Prize · 2001True History of the Kelly GangPeter CareyHistorical Fiction · EpicNed Kelly tells his own story in a raw voice, from childhood to the final siege
What you get: A raw, lively and moving story told in an unforgettable voice.
Booker Prize · 2000The Blind AssassinMargaret AtwoodLiterary Fiction · DarkAn old woman tells the story of her sister's death and a novel that may reveal the truth
What you get: A layered, absorbing novel with stories within stories, rewarding you for paying attention.
Booker Prize · 1999DisgraceJ. M. CoetzeeLiterary Fiction · DarkA Cape Town professor loses his job after an affair and retreats to his daughter's farm
What you get: A concise, honest story that makes you think about dignity and how we live with each other.
Booker Prize · 1998AmsterdamIan McEwanLiterary Fiction · DarkTwo old friends make a pact after the funeral of a woman they both loved
What you get: A neat, witty and tightly plotted story that you can finish quickly and enjoy for its clever surprises.
Booker Prize · 1997The God of Small ThingsArundhati RoyLiterary Fiction · MelancholicTwins in Kerala remember the week that destroyed their family
What you get: Lush, vivid writing that makes you feel a childhood and a place. Haunting and unforgettable.
Booker Prize · 1996Last OrdersGraham SwiftLiterary Fiction · MelancholicFour old friends drive to the sea to scatter a butcher's ashes
What you get: A tender, human story of friendship and memory told in many voices.
Booker Prize · 1995The Ghost RoadPat BarkerHistorical Fiction · DarkA psychiatrist remembers a Melanesian island while his patient returns to the trenches
What you get: A thoughtful, beautifully made close to a famous trilogy.
Booker Prize · 1994How Late It Was, How LateJames KelmanLiterary Fiction · DarkSammy wakes after a two-day drinking binge in Glasgow, beaten and suddenly blind
What you get: A raw, inventive story told in a unique voice you will not forget.
Booker Prize · 1993Paddy Clarke Ha Ha HaRoddy DoyleLiterary Fiction · WarmA ten-year-old in 1968 Dublin narrates street games while his parents' marriage unravels
What you get: A fresh, vivid voice that makes you feel like a kid in sixties Dublin.
Booker Prize · 1992The English PatientMichael OndaatjeHistorical Fiction · MelancholicFour people shelter in a ruined Italian villa at the end of the Second World War
What you get: Beautiful, immersive writing and four people in an old villa whose stories gradually open up.
Booker Prize · 1992Sacred HungerBarry UnsworthHistorical Fiction · DarkA slave ship sails from Liverpool in 1752, and its crew and cargo start to turn on each other
What you get: A powerful, absorbing story that holds your attention to the last page.
Booker Prize · 1991The Famished RoadBen OkriLiterary Fiction · EpicA spirit-child in a Nigerian town keeps being pulled back toward the world of spirits
What you get: A lush, imaginative journey seen through the eyes of a spirit child, full of wonder and color.
Booker Prize · 1990PossessionA. S. ByattLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulTwo scholars uncover a hidden love affair between two Victorian poets
What you get: A rich double love story with a scholarly treasure hunt, full of poetry, secrets and delight.
Booker Prize · 1989The Remains of the DayKazuo IshiguroLiterary Fiction · MelancholicAn English butler takes a road trip and looks back on his years of devoted service
What you get: A graceful, deeply moving portrait that stays with you, told in a voice you will remember.
Booker Prize · 1988Oscar and LucindaPeter CareyHistorical Fiction · EpicTwo compulsive gamblers plan to ship a glass church across the Australian wilderness
What you get: A wonderfully odd, imaginative story about two dreamers and a glass church.
Booker Prize · 1987Moon TigerPenelope LivelyHistorical Fiction · ThoughtfulA historian in hospital reconstructs her life, from wartime Cairo to old age
What you get: A bright, intelligent and moving story of a remarkable woman looking back.
Booker Prize · 1986The Old DevilsKingsley AmisLiterary Fiction · LightOld friends in a Welsh town drink their way through retirement until a famous writer returns
What you get: A lively comedy of habits, friendships and the surprises of retirement.
Booker Prize · 1985The Bone PeopleKeri HulmeLiterary Fiction · DarkAn artist, a mute boy and his foster father form an uneasy family on the New Zealand coast
What you get: A rich, powerful story with a strong sense of place on the New Zealand coast.
Booker Prize · 1984Hotel du LacAnita BrooknerLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA romance writer is sent to a quiet Swiss hotel after a social scandal
What you get: A refined, witty novel with a calm and reflective feeling.
Booker Prize · 1983Life & Times of Michael KJ. M. CoetzeeLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA gardener pushes his sick mother across a country at war in a homemade cart
What you get: A quiet, powerful novel about a man's simple wish for peace and a patch of earth.
Booker Prize · 1982Schindler's ArkThomas KeneallyHistorical Fiction · DarkA German factory owner saves over a thousand Jewish workers from the death camps
What you get: An inspiring, carefully told account that shows how one person can make an enormous difference.
Booker Prize · 1981Midnight's ChildrenSalman RushdieHistorical Fiction · EpicSaleem Sinai is born at the moment of India's independence, linked to a thousand other children
What you get: A dazzling mix of humor, myth and history in a voice that sweeps you along. Imaginative and unforgettable.
Booker Prize · 1980Rites of PassageWilliam GoldingHistorical Fiction · TenseA young aristocrat keeps a journal on a ship bound for Australia
What you get: A gripping, finely written voyage full of observation and tension.
Booker Prize · 1979OffshorePenelope FitzgeraldLiterary Fiction · WarmLondoners live on houseboats on the Thames at Battersea Reach
What you get: A tiny gem of dry humor and quiet feeling.
Booker Prize · 1978The Sea, the SeaIris MurdochLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulA retired theatre director settles by the sea and meets his first love again
What you get: A rich, funny and haunting story full of surprises.
Booker Prize · 1977Staying OnPaul ScottLiterary Fiction · WarmAn elderly British couple stay on in India long after Independence
What you get: A tender, humorous and deeply human portrait of a long marriage.
Booker Prize · 1976SavilleDavid StoreyLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA miner's son from a Yorkshire pit village wins a scholarship and leaves his class behind
What you get: A moving, detailed portrait of a boy's chances and the price of change.
Booker Prize · 1975Heat and DustRuth Prawer JhabvalaHistorical Fiction · ThoughtfulA woman retraces her step-grandmother's scandalous life in 1920s India
What you get: A vivid, atmospheric story that links two women across fifty years.
Booker Prize · 1974The ConservationistNadine GordimerLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulA wealthy white industrialist buys a farm, and an unidentified body is found on it
What you get: A precise, atmospheric novel that stays with you.
Booker Prize · 1974HolidayStanley MiddletonLiterary Fiction · MelancholicA man spends a week at an English seaside town while his marriage has ended
What you get: A gentle, thoughtful novel set at an English seaside resort.
Booker Prize · 1973The Siege of KrishnapurJ. G. FarrellHistorical Fiction · TenseBritish residents shelter in a besieged Indian compound during the 1857 uprising
What you get: A lively, witty and moving story of a small group of people under pressure.
Booker Prize · 1972G.John BergerHistorical Fiction · ThoughtfulA young seducer comes of age in Europe in the years before the First World War
What you get: A bold, poetic story of a young man's education on the eve of a great change.
Booker Prize · 1971In a Free StateV. S. NaipaulLiterary Fiction · DarkTwo expatriates drive through an unnamed African country on the edge of civil war
What you get: A sharp, vivid study of people on the road through a country on the edge.
Booker Prize · 1970The Elected MemberBernice RubensLiterary Fiction · DarkA Jewish rabbi's son in London is locked in a spiral of drugs and delusion
What you get: A sharply written, deeply felt portrait of a family under strain.
Booker Prize · 1970TroublesJ. G. FarrellHistorical Fiction · MelancholicAn English major inherits an Irish hotel that is falling apart in 1919
What you get: A witty, richly atmospheric tale that blends comedy and history.
Booker Prize · 1969Something to Answer ForP. H. NewbyLiterary Fiction · ThoughtfulA British drifter arrives in Port Said just as the Suez crisis breaks
What you get: A tense, original novel with a complicated hero in a sharp setting.
Showing 20 of 61
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