Set in and around the Second World War, David Storey’s tale about a boy from a mining town who grows away from his roots won the Booker Prize in 1976.
By David Storey
The Booker Prize 1976
David Storey receiving the 1976 Booker prize from Michael Caine
The year when the prime minister, Harold Wilson, dropped in for dinner and the prize itself, for the first and only time, was won by a professional rugby league player, David Storey.
Harold Wilson joined the awards dinner for pudding because his wife, Mary Wilson, was one of the judges. His late arrival was due to attending a boxing match so he would have approved of David Storey’s sporting past, his northern roots (Storey was from Wakefield, Wilson from nearby Huddersfield), and the winning book, Saville, a story set in a Yorkshire mining village.
This was also the first Booker Prize win for the publisher Jonathan Cape – it currently has eight, more than any other publisher.
Winner The Booker Prize 1976
- By
- David Storey
- Published by
- Jonathan Cape
Set in and around the Second World War, David Storey’s tale about a boy from a mining town who grows away from his roots won the Booker Prize in 1976.
The shortlist
André Brink’s intense historical adventure set in 18th-century South Africa is a passionate tale of love, hope and the struggle for survival.
By André Brink
Published posthumously, Rising is R.C. Hutchinson’s powerful exploration of one man's attempt at redemption.
A surgeon’s wife embarks on a passionate affair with a younger man in Brian Moore’s powerful portrayal of a woman transformed by love.
By Brian Moore
A vivid tale of suspense and passion that peels away the veneer of modern life. One of five novels the prolific author Julian Rathbone set in Spain.
A lonely teenager becomes a sinister presence in a small English coastal town in this compelling character study from William Trevor.
