A few years younger than the University of York which opened officially in 1964, the Man Booker Prize (1969) is a globally acclaimed award for a single piece of newly published fiction from anywhere in the world. To qualify, an author first needs to have a long-form story written in English, and be published either in the UK or Ireland by an established publishing company. The author must be alive during the period of submission and the prize process. The same applies to translators of submitted literary works. Currently, only the publisher can submit the work for nomination.
Unknown to many at its inception, the prize began as a personal tribute to commemorate the ventures of the deceased Ian Flemming. Flemming was a friend of Jock Campbell, Chairman of Booker when it was a conglomerate in Guyana that had just acquired commercial interest in literary estates. Five decades later, it serves as a mark of distinction. Winning the Booker Prize can change a writer’s life; it boosts book sales, offers a distinguished repertoire in the literary sphere, and secures readership for so many decades.
Orbital is Harvey’s fifth novel, published in November 2023 by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Vintage Publishing UK (Penguin Random House). It is a thought-provoking work of fiction, which tackles issues of human existentialism from the perspectives of six astronauts. Coming from different regions of the world, the protagonists have been sent to the ISS (International Space Station) to carry out various tasks: collecting meteorological data, conducting scientific experiments and testing the known limits of the human body. Although far from home, the astronauts cannot resist the emphatic pull of their home world as they remain in contact with their loved ones and observe the planet during various climatic stages. By showing us the wynorrific facets of nature through a cosmic lens, Harvey invites us to consider the brittle toughness of human life and its detrimental, codependent relationship with the Earth and its nature. Such philosophical creativity is akin to Plato’s own Atlantis narrative with distinct references to Shakespeare.
The origins of Harvey's unique writing style can be traced back to her time at the University of York where she obtained her bachelor’s in Philosophy with English. Her literary achievement has not gone unnoticed by the university’s faculty. Naturally, they are proud of her accomplishment as “one of five women on the Booker shortlist” and the first woman awarded the prize in six years. Head of the Department of Philosophy, Professor Keith Allen, said, “We are delighted that Samantha Harvey has won the Booker Prize for her wonderful novel, Orbital. This is a fantastic achievement, and we hope that Samantha’s success will be an inspiration for current York students."
A few students pursuing English and Related Literature and Philosophy found the win much deserving as they were pulled in by Harvey’s “interesting and thoughtful writing style”, particularly entranced by the contemporaneous nature of her book. This hopefully encourages students to work hard towards their goals, regardless of the degree they study.
The winning novel of the 2024 prize season is Orbital, a novel by University of York alumna Samantha Harvey. She was awarded the prize by 2023 Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch during a prize ceremony at Old Billingsgate, London, along with a generous £50,000 to commemorate her outstanding accomplishment. We at Nouse would also like to offer our congratulations to Samantha Harvey – you reached for the stars and went beyond. Warmest congratulations! We look forward to seeing what you do next.
