David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize for His Novel ‘Flesh’

Canadian-Hungarian-British author “David Szalay” has been awarded the “2025 Booker Prize for Fiction” for his novel “Flesh”, a profound portrayal of an ordinary man’s life marked by silence, absence, and unspoken emotion. The announcement was made at a ceremony held at Old Billingsgate in London on November 10, 2025.

A Story of Life and Its Silences

Szalay’s “Flesh” tells the story of István, a reserved Hungarian man whose journey spans decades — from his early love affair to his experiences as a struggling immigrant in Britain and later as a figure in London’s elite circles. Critics have lauded the book for its minimalist style and emotional restraint, revealing deep truths through omission and understatement. The judges described it as a “book about living, and the strangeness of living.”

Judges’ Choice and Literary Impact

The winner was selected from “153 submitted titles”, judged by a panel including Irish novelist “Roddy Doyle” and actor “Sarah Jessica Parker”. Doyle, who chaired the panel, said “Flesh” was the unanimous choice after a five-hour discussion. Praising its subtlety, he remarked that the novel compels readers to look “behind the face” of the working-class men often invisible in literature. Szalay’s sparse prose and refusal to explain everything, Doyle said, make the book more powerful — “If the gaps were filled, it would be less of a book.”

Background and Recognition

Born in Canada and raised in the United Kingdom, Szalay, now based in Vienna, had earlier been shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016 for “All That Man Is”. His latest win earns him “£50,000 ($66,000)” and renewed international recognition. The author expressed that “Flesh” was his attempt to write about life “as a physical experience — about what it’s like to be a living body in the world.”

Exam Oriented Facts

• David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh”.
• The Booker Prize carries a cash award of £50,000.
• The judging panel was chaired by Irish writer Roddy Doyle.
• “Flesh” explores the life of István, a working-class Hungarian immigrant.
• Szalay was previously shortlisted in 2016 for “All That Man Is”.

Other Finalists and Literary Context

Szalay triumphed over a strong shortlist that included “Andrew Miller’s” “The Land in Winter”, “Kiran Desai’s” “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny”, “Susan Choi’s” “Flashlight”, “Katie Kitamura’s” “Audition”, and “Ben Markovits’” “The Rest of Our Lives”. Since its inception in 1969, the Booker Prize has transformed global literary careers, with past winners including “Salman Rushdie”, “Margaret Atwood”, and “Arundhati Roy”. Szalay’s victory reaffirms the prize’s tradition of celebrating novels that illuminate the extraordinary within the ordinary.