Samantha Harvey, a British author, has been awarded the Booker Prize for fiction for her novel 'Orbital'.

• The International Space Station is the focus of "Orbital," a novel by British author Samantha Harvey, which has earned her the Booker Prize.
• One day, six astronauts experience 16 sunrises and sunsets in space, as described by Harvey in his novel.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, she drew inspiration from astronaut literature and space station live feeds while beginning to write "Orbital."

On Tuesday, British author Samantha Harvey was awarded the Booker Prize for fiction for her novel "Orbital," which takes place aboard the International Space Station and explores the beauty and vulnerability of Earth.

Harvey received a $64,000 prize for her "space pastoral" about six astronauts in orbit, which she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The characters are confined and spend a day looping through 16 sunrises and sunsets, while being trapped in each other's company and captivated by the changing views of the Earth.

"Looking at the Earth from space is like a child seeing herself in a mirror for the first time, said Harvey, who studied her novel by reading astronaut books and watching the space station's live camera. "Our actions towards the Earth reflect our own nature.""

She stated that while the novel does not explicitly focus on climate change, it implies the existence of human-induced climate change through its portrayal of the Earth's view.

She dedicated the prize to those who advocate for the Earth and the dignity of all humans and life.

"For all those who advocate for peace, this message is for you," she stated.

Edmund de Waal, a writer and artist who led a five-member panel, praised "Orbital" as a "wondrous book" that "transforms our perception of the world."

The Booker Prize Foundation's chief executive, Gaby Wood, remarked that "in a year marked by geopolitical turmoil and predicted to be the warmest on record," the winning book was "inspiring, relevant, and enduring."

Since 2020, Harvey, a British writer who has authored four novels and a memoir about insomnia, is the first winner of the Booker Prize, an English-language writing competition that has a history of launching successful writing careers. Previous winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Hilary Mantel.

Harvey's succinct novel was praised by De Waal for its "crystalline" writing and "capaciousness," despite being only 136 pages in its U.K. paperback edition, making it one of the shortest-ever Booker winners.

"This is a book that repays slow reading," he said.

The judges spent a full day selecting their winner and reached a unanimous decision. Harvey emerged victorious among five other finalists from Canada, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands, who were chosen from among 156 novels submitted by publishers.

Percival Everett's novel "James," which reinterprets Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of the enslaved man Jim, was the bookies' top pick to win.

The other finalists for the Booker Prize were Rachel Kushner's spy story "Creation Lake," Anne Michaels' poetic novel "Held," Charlotte Wood's Australian saga "Stone Yard Devotional," and "The Safekeep" by Yael van der Wouden, the first Dutch author to be shortlisted for the Booker.

Harvey is the first female Booker winner since 2019, though one of five women on this year's shortlist, the largest number in the prize's 55-year history. Despite the gender or nationality of the authors being "background noise" that did not influence the judges, De Waal said issues such as the gender or nationality of the authors were "background noise" that did not influence the judges.

"The awards ceremony at Old Billingsgate was solely about the novel, with no box ticking, agendas, or anything else involved," he stated before the ceremony.

The Booker Prize, established in 1969, is open to English language novels published in the U.K. or Ireland. The winner of the previous year was Irish author Paul Lynch for his novel "Prophet Song," which depicts a post-democratic dystopia.

At the ceremony, Lynch presented Harvey with the Booker trophy, cautioning her that her life would undergo a significant transformation due to the increased exposure brought on by the Booker recognition.

Despite feeling "overwhelmed," Harvey remained grounded about spending her prize money.

She stated that she would allocate "some of it on taxes." She expressed a desire to purchase a new bicycle. Additionally, she mentioned that she would use the remaining funds to travel to Japan.