Introducing our Monthly Spotlight for February: The Sea by John Banville

This month, we revisit John Banville’s exploration of memory, childhood and loss; which won the Booker Prize 20 years ago

When The Sea won the Booker Prize in 2005, it was an outsider. That year, the shortlist was packed with literary heavyweights – Zadie Smith, Kazuo Ishiguro, Julian Barnes, Ali Smith, and Sebastian Barry – yet John Banville’s novel claimed victory, securing his place in Booker history.

Upon its win, Professor John Sutherland, Chair of judges in 2005, called The Sea ‘a masterly study of grief, memory and love recollected’. Now, 20 years later, we’re revisiting the novel – our latest Monthly Spotlight. This February, rediscover the story of an art historian seeking refuge from recent loss while confronting a trauma buried in the long-lost summer of his childhood.

Banville drew on his own youth for The Sea, setting it within a fictionalised Rosslare in Ireland, the seaside village he spent every summer as a child. ‘I had no difficulty whatever in revisiting the far past, Banville reflects, in an exclusive interview with the Booker Prizes to mark the anniversary of his Booker win. ‘For the artist, childhood is a recent antiquity, where the treasure is buried.’

Spanning more than 50 years, Banville’s career has produced over 20 works of fiction and earned him numerous prizes along the way. His prose – precise, poetic, and laden with visual and artist references – has drawn comparisons to literary greats such as Proust, Nabokov and Beckett. Yet, despite this acclaim, he often views his works as failures. ‘All works of art fail, inevitably – but that doesn’t mean they are bad. We pursue perfection, without hope of achieving it, but pick up some precious bits and pieces along the way,’ he adds.

For deeper insights into Banville’s work, and for more on The Sea, visit our Monthly Spotlight page. There, you can read an extract, explore our comprehensive reading guide and learn more about Banville’s inspirations in our interview. Plus, don’t miss the chance to win a copy of The Sea, and a Booker Prize tote bag, in our latest competition. Happy reading!

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John Banville interview: ‘Even the bleakest works of art offer consolation’

Twenty years after winning the Booker, the author reflects on his 2005 Booker Prize win with The Sea, explains why he hates the notion of ‘genre’, and discusses the inevitability of failure in the pursuit of art.

‘On the afternoon before the Booker dinner, I was walking by the Serpentine and saw five exquisite, pure-white seabirds fighting with a duck over a crust of bread. The duck won. Since I was one of six shortlisted authors, I took it as an omen. The prize had no impact on me as a writer, but it sold a lot of books, and perhaps even found me some new readers.’

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Read an extract from The Sea

Led back to Ballyless by a dream, Max Morden returns to the coastal town where he spent a holiday in his youth. The Grace family appeared that long-ago summer as if from another world. Drawn to the twins, Chloe and Myles, Max soon found himself entangled in their lives, which were as seductive as they were unsettling. What ensued haunts him for the rest of his years and shapes everything that is to follow.

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Discover our reading guide to the novel

Whether you’re new to The Sea and have read it and would like to explore it more deeply, here is our comprehensive guide, featuring insights from critics and the author, as well as discussion points and suggestions for further reading.

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Win a copy of The Sea and a Booker Prize tote bag

To celebrate our Monthly Spotlight for February, we are giving you the chance to win a copy of the novel and a limited-edition Booker Prize tote bag.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply enter your details on the Booker Prizes website by 12:00 GMT on Friday, February 28, 2025. This competition is open to readers anywhere in the world.

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Have you read The Sea, or will you be joining us this month? Let us know in the comments below…