The author’s fourth novel is a timely story of a young woman who faces sexual harassment by a paramilitary figure.

Anna Burns won this year’s Man Booker prize, for ‘Milkman’, her fourth novel. This was the first time an author from Northern Ireland won the top literary honour.

We are delighted to announce our #ManBooker2018 winner is Milkman by Anna Burns https://t.co/ReKPbcWoM6 #FinestFiction pic.twitter.com/tW8vmF7nVj

— Man Booker Prize (@ManBookerPrize) October 16, 2018

Burn’s Milkman beat competition from ‘The Long Take’ by Robin Robertson, ‘Washington Black’ by Esi Edugyan, ‘The Mars Room’ by Rachel Kushner, ‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers and ‘Everything Under’ by Daisy Johnson – who, At 27, was the youngest nominee in Man Booker history.

At a glittering ceremony held post-Tuesday midnight, the judges said Milkman was “simply marvellous”. They underscored the “distinctive and consistently realized voice of the funny, resilient, astute, plain-spoken, first-person protagonist”.

The ‘#MeToo’ novel traces the journey of a young woman in an unnamed town during Ireland’s ‘The Troubles’, who is sexually harassed by a powerful paramilitary figure.

Burns, who said she was “stunned” to win, will receive £50,000 in prize money.