Novelist M John Harrison, aged 81, secured the Booker prize for his science fiction novel depicting an isolated Britain that closely mirrors the nation's post-EU trajectory. Since departing the bloc, the UK has suffered economic strain from strained trading partnerships, financial drops from reduced migration, and disruptions to higher education. Public sentiment has turned critical, with 57 percent now viewing the exit as a bad idea. In response to the economic slump, Prime Minister Andy Burnham is proposing that the government reconsider its European relations.
Key points
The fictional portrayal of an isolated, struggling Britain mirrors real economic disrupti…: The fictional portrayal of an isolated, struggling Britain mirrors real economic disruptions experienced since the 2020 exit from the European Union.
Reduced net migration and policies aimed at foreign students have generated notable finan…: Reduced net migration and policies aimed at foreign students have generated notable financial losses and structural disruptions for universities.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is advocating for a revised relationship with the EU to comba…: Prime Minister Andy Burnham is advocating for a revised relationship with the EU to combat the ongoing domestic economic slump.
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Earlier this week, some people on the radio were talking about a very British dystopia. The government had disintegrated, but everyone was carrying on pretty much as they had before. Britain was isolated on the world stage and people missed Europe like hell, but weren’t allowed to visit, let alone live there.
I thought the radio people were discussing Britain post-Brexit, circa 2022. In fact, they were talking about the plot of the Booker prize-winning novel The End of Everything. Its author, M John Harrison, is renowned now for being, at 81, the oldest winner of the award, as well as the first science fiction writer to win it. But let’s also carve out a space for him on the podium of dystopian fiction, as a writer who can describe an indeterminate future in terms that are both terrifying and sound like a couple of years ago.
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