British-Hungarian author David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. The prize, considered as one of the highest literary honour, was given to Szalay for writing an ‘extraordinary’ and a very ‘special book’, said the judges.
Szalay beat five other shortlisted authors, including Indian novelist Kiran Desai, who won in 2006, and Britain's Andrew Miller, to claim the £50,000 ($65,500) award at a ceremony in London.
Szalay had previously been shortlisted for the prestigious literary honour in 2016 for his last work, All That Man Is.
Szalay’s book Flesh tells the story of an emotionally detached man who is swept through different phases of his life, from a Hungarian housing estate to the world of the ultra-rich in London. His tormented life includes affairs with older women and fighting in Iraq. Author Roddy Doyle, who chaired the judging panel, calls the book dark but a joy to read. “What we particularly liked about Flesh was its singularity. It's just not like any other book,” the Doyle.
The judging panel also included Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker alongside authors Ayobami Adebayo and Kiley Reid as well as critic and writer Chris Power and the book got major support from the likes of Dua Lipa and Stormzy.
In an interview with the Booker Prize organisation after his novel was longlisted, Szalay said he knew he wanted to write a book that began with Hungary, ended with England and that explored "the cultural and economic divides that characterise" contemporary Europe.
"Writing about a Hungarian immigrant at the time when Hungary joined the EU seemed like an obvious way to go," he said.
Szalay beat favourites Desai and Miller.
Desai was shortlisted for The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a nearly 700-page novel and her first work since winning the Booker in 2006 for The Inheritance of Loss.
Miller, who had also previously been shortlisted for the award, was considered for The Land In Winter. (Agencies)
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