Marlon James's Jamaica novel The Disappearers shortlisted for Booker Prize
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The gist
Author Marlon James's novel The Disappearers, on gay men in 1980s–90s Jamaica, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
The shortlisting puts queer Jamaican life in the spotlight.
Background
Marlon James is the author of The Disappearers, The Book of Night Women (2009) and A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014). His fiction has explored power, oppression and how the marginalised negotiate their histories. The Disappearers turns to queer life in Jamaica, where homosexuality is stigmatised, AIDS is feared and gay men negotiate a precarious existence. The book is drawing attention now after its Booker Prize shortlisting and a place on the Foyles Book of the Year 2026 shortlist.
How it unfolded
- Sep 23, 2026The Disappearers, about gay men surviving homophobia in Jamaica in the 1980s and '90s, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize; James gave his first television interview about the book to PBS.
- Nov 2, 2026Marlon James was among the authors shortlisted for the Foyles Book of the Year 2026, with 15 titles selected by the bookseller's staff.
- Nov 4, 2026A review of The Disappearers was published, examining queer life in Jamaica in the two decades after the late 1980s.
Key terms
- Booker Prize
- Annual literary award given for the best single work of English-language fiction published in the UK or Ireland.
- Foyles
- English chain of bookshops founded in 1903, known for its flagship store on Charing Cross Road, London.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Author
- James said he is optimistic because young people are optimistic, noting that when he says things may be a little better in 20 years they answer '10', while he worries because of the contradictions around him.
- Reviewer
- A review described The Disappearers as a haunting exploration of queer life in Jamaica in the decades after the late 1980s.