Orwell Prize 2024: Political Fiction

Hisham Matar’s novel is an intimate meditation on friendship, exile, and political loss. Set between London and Libya, it follows a man navigating life in the diaspora while carrying the weight of a revolution that reshaped his identity. Matar’s writing is elegant and melancholy, capturing the subtle complexities of relationships strained by distance and history. The narrative unfolds slowly, with emotional precision, revealing how political upheaval infiltrates even the quietest corners of life. It is both deeply personal and quietly political, a novel about belonging and the invisible ties that bind us. Matar’s ability to evoke longing is unmatched.

In James, Percival Everett brilliantly reimagines Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, exposing the violence, hypocrisy, and racial politics that underpin the American literary canon. Everett’s writing is razor-sharp, darkly humorous, and utterly fearless, deconstructing the myths of innocence and freedom that surround Twain’s original text. The novel balances biting satire with profound emotional depth, giving voice to a character historically denied complexity. Everett interrogates the stories America tells about itself, turning a familiar narrative into an indictment of the systems that shape it. It is bold, inventive, and uncompromising — a modern classic of political fiction.

Merle Collins’s novel is a powerful portrait of political awakening set against the backdrop of Grenada’s revolutionary past. Through richly drawn characters and vibrant language, she brings to life a community wrestling with hope, betrayal, and the long shadows of colonialism. Collins captures the rhythms of island life while weaving in the larger forces shaping it, showing how personal decisions become entangled in collective struggle. Her prose is musical and immersive, with emotional crescendos that echo the turbulence of the era she depicts. The novel’s strength lies in its attention to the everyday people who drive political change — and who pay its price. It is evocative, tender, and politically resonant, a story that lingers long after the final page.

Andrew O’Hagan’s sweeping social novel follows a celebrated academic whose carefully constructed life unravels amid scandal, exposing the fault lines of contemporary British society. O’Hagan moves through multiple perspectives — activists, influencers, oligarchs, students — constructing a panoramic view of class, media, and political disillusionment. His satire is sharp, but it’s his empathy for even flawed characters that gives the novel depth. The book feels both Dickensian and distinctly modern, capturing a nation in moral and ideological flux. It is ambitious, energetic, and richly layered, offering a biting critique of inequality and aspiration.

Megan Nolan crafts a sharp, emotionally charged examination of media outrage, family dysfunction, and the politics of blame. When a crime shocks London, an Irish family already teetering on the edge becomes the focus of a ravenous press. Nolan dissects how class, prejudice, and institutional power shape public narratives, turning private grief into spectacle. Her prose is taut and compassionate, balancing psychological insight with cultural critique. The novel reveals how systems fail the vulnerable while pretending to serve justice. It is both gripping and devastating — a portrait of the political hidden inside the domestic.

Samantha Harvey’s Orbital unfolds aboard the International Space Station, where six astronauts orbit Earth while grappling with the fragile politics of the world below. The novel is meditative and atmospheric, using the vantage point of space to reflect on borders, conflict, and the illusion of separation. Harvey’s prose is exquisite, weaving scientific detail with philosophical reflection. Though set far above Earth, the book is deeply grounded in human experience — longing, memory, responsibility, and the tension between personal and collective identity. The quiet, floating environment heightens every small emotional shift. It’s a contemplative and beautifully crafted piece of political fiction.

Justin Torres’s novel is a fierce and dazzling exploration of queer history, erasure, and the politics of storytelling. Through fragmented narration and layered voices, he reconstructs the life of a man whose existence was shaped by institutional repression and the quiet violences of respectability. Torres’s prose is hypnotic and poetic, pushing the boundaries of narrative form while remaining emotionally devastating. The novel interrogates who gets to tell history — and who gets written out of it. It is both a lament and an act of reclamation, brilliant in its ambition and deeply affecting in its execution. A bold, unforgettable work.

Adam Thirlwell delivers a dazzling, playful novel set in eighteenth-century France on the eve of revolution. His protagonist moves through salons, scandals, and shifting political winds with a sense of surreal lightness, even as the world teeters on the edge of upheaval. Thirlwell’s style is experimental yet charming, blending historical detail with metafictional twists that question how history is told. Beneath the humour and stylistic flair lies a sharp interrogation of power, privilege, and the narratives that justify them. It’s inventive, eccentric, and intellectually provocative — political fiction with a mischievous glint.