David Szalay wins Booker prize with ‘extraordinary and singular' novel Flesh
The British-Hungarian author's novel exploring modern masculinity was chosen unanimously as this year's winner, says judging chair Roddy Doyle
www.independent.co.ukHere’s the latest I can share based on recent public reporting:
- David Szalay won the Booker Prize in 2025 for Flesh, becoming the first Hungarian-British author to win the prize. This was announced in London with Judge chair Roddy Doyle calling Flesh an extraordinary and singular work.[3]
- Flesh follows a Hungarian man across decades, and Szalay has been praised for his restrained, economical prose that emphasizes what’s unsaid as much as what is said.[4][3]
- Prior to Flesh, Szalay was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016 for All That Man Is, continuing his pattern of exploring masculinity and European life in his fiction.[3]
- News coverage also highlighted Szalay’s background (born in Montreal, raised in Europe, and living in Vienna) and noted Flesh as his sixth book.[5]
If you’d like, I can pull in current updates (e.g., recent interviews, new translations, or upcoming appearances) and summarize them with direct citations.