2025 Booker Prize Longlist Announced
Kiran Desai, Tash Aw, and David Szalay are among the authors highlighted on the longlist for the 2025 Booker Prize, showcasing writers from nine different nationalities—the most diverse selection in a decade.
This year’s judging panel includes Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker, along with Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and the chair of judges, Roddy Doyle. The panel has also selected works by Katie Kitamura, Andrew Miller, Ben Markovits, and Jonathan Buckley, among others, making up the “Booker dozen” of 13 titles.
Notable Nominations
Joining the longlist are Susan Choi, Natasha Brown, and Benjamin Wood. Desai returns with her first novel since winning the Booker in 2006 for The Inheritance of Loss. Her new work, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, is set for release in September and spans 667 pages, making it the longest entry on this year’s list.
Insights from the Judges
Doyle noted that the selected titles “are all alive with great characters and narrative surprises,” emphasizing that they explore themes of identity—be it individual or national—and are compelling reads.
Competitors and Their Works
Aw, nominated for the third time for his latest book The South, could become the first Malaysian recipient of the £50,000 prize if he wins. Szalay’s Flesh follows the life of a man named István from adolescence through middle age.
Publishing Highlights
This year marks Fitzcarraldo Editions’ inaugural longlisting with Buckley’s novel One Boat, the shortest book on the list at 168 pages. Publisher Faber also features three titles: Brown’s Universality, Markovits’ The Rest of Our Lives, and Adam’s Love Forms.
Diverse National Representation
The 2025 longlist features the greatest variety of nationalities in recent years, with five British authors included. American writers have four entries, while no Irish writers were nominated this year, despite strong past representation. The shortlist will be announced on September 23, with the winner revealed on November 10.
