Highlights:
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David Szalay, British-Hungarian author, wins the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh.
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The prize carries £50,000 (around ₹58.4 lakh).
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The award was announced at Old Billingsgate in London.
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Last year’s winner, Samantha Harvey, presented the trophy.
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Flesh tells the story of a Hungarian émigré’s rise and fall.
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Judges called it “a rare novel about men and meaning.”
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Chair Roddy Doyle described it as “singular” and “extraordinary.”
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The judging panel included Sarah Jessica Parker, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Kiley Reid, Chris Power, and Roddy Doyle.
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Other shortlisted authors: Kiran Desai, Andrew Miller, Susan Choi, Katie Kitamura, and Ben Markovits.
David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. The prize, worth £50,000 (about ₹58.4 lakh), was announced at Old Billingsgate in London. Samantha Harvey, last year’s winner, presented the trophy. David Szalay appeared composed when accepting the award; he was previously shortlisted in 2016 for All That Man Is.
Flesh follows a Hungarian émigré from military service through the moneyed corners of London. The narrative traces his rise and fall, recording episodes of ambition, loss, moments of violence, guilt and quiet collapse. The book is written in a sparse style that has been characteristic of Szalay’s fiction.
Judges’ view — David Szalay’s Flesh described
Roddy Doyle, chair of the judging panel, described Flesh as “singular” and “extraordinary.” Doyle added, “We had never read anything quite like it. It’s a dark book, but it’s a joy to read.” Another line used by the panel in coverage described the work as “a rare novel about men and meaning.” Those statements were central to the judges’ decision.
The panel read 153 submissions this year and repeatedly returned to Flesh during deliberations. The judging panel included Sarah Jessica Parker, writers Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and Kiley Reid, and critic Chris Power, with Roddy Doyle as chair.
David Szalay: background and career
David Szalay was born in Montreal, raised in London and now lives in Vienna. He has published six novels. His work often returns to similar territory: flawed men facing difficult choices and small violences that reshape lives. This Booker Prize win consolidates Szalay’s reputation for exploring male identity and moral ambiguity through precise, economical prose.
What Flesh sets out to do — David Szalay’s intent
Szalay told the Booker organisers that he wanted a book that “began with Hungary, ended with England” and that reflected cultural and economic divides shaping contemporary Europe. He said writing about a Hungarian immigrant at the time Hungary joined the EU felt like “an obvious route.” That premise — a narrative spanning Hungary to England and tracking social and economic shifts — underpins the structure of Flesh.
Shortlist and awards procedure
The 2025 Booker shortlist included six titles. Alongside David Szalay’s Flesh, the shortlist comprised:
- The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
- The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
- Flashlight by Susan Choi
- Audition by Katie Kitamura
- The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Each shortlisted writer received £2,500 and a specially bound copy of their book. The judges read a total of 153 novels before naming the winner.
Ceremony and immediate reaction
The award was announced on Monday night at Old Billingsgate in London. Samantha Harvey presented the prize on stage. David Szalay, who has in past years avoided the spotlight, was at the center of attention following the announcement. Agency reports contributed to coverage of the event.
Significance of the win for David Szalay
The Booker Prize adds a major monetary and reputational recognition to David Szalay’s career. The win highlights the themes Szalay has repeatedly explored—ambition, loss, and the moral consequences of personal choices—now situated in a single, multi-stage narrative that moves from Hungary to England. Winning the Booker Prize will increase the visibility of Flesh and will likely lead to wider readership and further critical discussion.
