London-based poet Rebecca Perry has won the 2026 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for her first novel, May We Feed the King, published by Granta Books. The prize, awarded by a panel of Waterstones booksellers, includes a £5,000 cash sum and a commitment to promoting Perry's career, following last year's winner The Artist by Lucy Steeds, which became the 2025 Waterstones Book of the Year.
A Dream-Like Blend of Past and Present
Perry's novel is described as a 'dream-like' and 'lush and haunting' debut that playfully moves between a contemporary museum curator dressing the rooms of a medieval palace and the reluctant monarch whose chambers she is recreating. As the curator becomes transfixed by this forgotten ruler, the puzzle box-like story examines what makes a king great and a life truly meaningful. Bea Carvalho, Waterstones Head of Books, praised the novel: 'From a shortlist of six stunning debuts, May We Feed the King stood out for its crisp, cool prose, and its playfully enigmatic approach to storytelling. With a poet's eye for detail and a keen sense of humour, Perry grapples with the slippery nature of memory and the burden of power. To read May We Feed the King is to creep behind the scenes of a museum and witness its exhibits come to life.'
Perry's Literary Background
Perry is the author of two full-length poetry collections – Beauty/Beauty and Stone Fruit – and four pamphlets, as well as On Trampolining, a work of creative non-fiction. Her poetry has been shortlisted for awards including the T.S. Eliot Prize, and her first collection won the Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. She drew on her lyrical background to write the novel, saying: 'In writing this book, I wanted to press at the edges of both historical fiction as a genre, and how we narrate history, testing what gives and what holds. But I also wanted to explore the capacities of loneliness and imagination, and ultimately what happens when a person defies what is expected of them, refusing to step into the tyranny of power.'
Bookseller Praise
The decision has been met with warm praise from frontline shop staff across the country. Jack from Waterstones London Victoria described May We Feed the King as 'an incredibly unique debut, executed with richness and perfection.'
The Shortlist
Selected by a panel of passionate booksellers, the 2026 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize shortlist celebrated six exceptionally diverse and bold first-time novels. The outstanding selection featured Madeline Cash's satirical family drama Lost Lambs, Jiyoung Han's intergenerational magical realist epic Honey in the Wound, and Tara Menon's moving exploration of grief Under Water. Also nominated were Stephanie Sy-Quia's Rome-set exploration of forbidden faith A Private Man, and Angela Tomaski's gothic family story The Infamous Gilberts. Together, these six remarkably varied books represent a vibrant future for contemporary fiction, showcasing the immense talent of this year's emerging literary voices.
