Hungarian-British author David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh, hailed by judges as “dark but a joy to read.”
London, November 10, 2025 — In a ceremony held at Old Billingsgate, Hungarian-British novelist David Szalay was awarded the 2025 Booker Prize for his sixth novel, Flesh, a haunting meditation on class, masculinity, and migration. The £50,000 prize was presented by last year’s winner, Samantha Harvey, in a night that celebrated literary excellence and emotional depth.
Szalay, previously shortlisted in 2016 for All That Man Is, becomes the first Hungarian-British writer to win the prestigious award. His novel Flesh follows István, a man whose life unfolds from adolescence in a Hungarian housing estate to adulthood among London’s elite. Written in spare, evocative prose, the book explores how formative experiences reverberate across a lifetime.
Judge Roddy Doyle, chair of the panel, described Flesh as “an extraordinary, singular novel… a dark book that is a joy to read.” The judging panel also included novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, critic Chris Power, author Kiley Reid, and actor Sarah Jessica Parker.
Szalay said of his work: “I wanted to write about life as a physical experience, about what it’s like to be a living body in the world”.
A Competitive Shortlist
This year’s shortlist featured six accomplished authors:
– Kiran Desai (The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny)
– Andrew Miller (The Land in Winter)
– Susan Choi, Katie Kitamura, and Ben Markovits
All finalists were established voices, making Szalay’s win a testament to the novel’s emotional resonance and stylistic originality.
A highlight of the evening was a screening of an extract from Flesh, performed by musician Stormzy as part of the Booker Prize shortlist films.
As the literary world celebrates Szalay’s triumph, Flesh is expected to see a surge in readership, cementing its place as one of the year’s most compelling works of fiction.
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