David Szalay is the Hungarian-British author who has won the prestigious 2025 Booker Prize for his profound and propulsive sixth novel, Flesh. His victory marks a significant milestone, as he is the first author of Hungarian heritage to win the award.
Here is what you need to know about the celebrated writer and his winning book:
Flesh begins as the story of a 15-year-old shy boy in Hungary. (Source: amazon.in)
A transatlantic background
Szalay’s personal history is as international as the scope of his fiction. He was born in Canada, grew up primarily in London, and now lives in Vienna. This peripatetic life has deeply influenced his work, which often explores themes of displacement, identity, and the search for belonging across different cultures. His winning novel, Flesh, which stretches from a Hungarian housing estate to the mansions of London’s elite, is a prime example of this transnational perspective.
Flesh is a hypnotic novel that traces the life of its protagonist, István, who is “unravelled by a series of events beyond his grasp.” The story begins with a shy, isolated 15-year-old in Hungary whose life is transformed by a clandestine relationship with an older, married neighbour—a relationship he barely understands but which sets his life on a destructive and inescapable path.
As the novel unfolds across decades, István is carried on the “tides of money and power” of the 21st century. He moves from the army into the company of London’s super-rich, his own competing impulses for love, intimacy, status, and wealth winning him unimaginable riches until they threaten to undo him completely. In spare, penetrating prose, Szalay asks profound questions about what drives a life: what makes it worth living, and what ultimately breaks it.
In his acceptance speech, Szalay revealed that the book felt like a “risky” endeavour, from its intimate content to its blunt title. The Booker judges, chaired by Roddy Doyle, praised it for its “utter singularity.”
The 2025 Booker Prize win is the crowning achievement of a steadily celebrated career. Szalay is the author of six works of fiction that have been translated into more than 20 languages.
His literary career was launched when his debut novel, London and the South-East, won both the Betty Trask Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. His critical reputation was cemented by his inclusion in Granta’s prestigious “Best of Young British Novelists” list in 2013. His 2016 novel, All That Man Is, was a landmark, winning the Gordon Burn Prize and earning him his first Booker Prize shortlisting.
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A life-changing victory
With the Booker Prize win, announced on November 10, 2025, Szalay receives £50,000 (Rs 58 lakh) and is guaranteed a global readership. The win validates a novel born from creative uncertainty; Szalay has shared that he began writing Flesh after abandoning another novel he had worked on for years.
David Szalay has not only joined the pantheon of great literature but has secured his place as one of its most compelling contemporary contributors.
Aishwarya Khosla is a key editorial figure at The Indian Express, where she spearheads and manages the Books & Literature and Puzzles & Games sections, driving content strategy and execution. Aishwarya's specialty lies in book reviews, literary criticism and cultural commentary. She also pens long-form feature articles where she focuses on the complex interplay of culture, identity, and politics.
She is a proud recipient of The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections. This fellowship required intensive study and research into political campaigns, policy analysis, political strategy, and communications, directly informing the analytical depth of her cultural commentary.
As the dedicated author of The Indian Express newsletters, Meanwhile, Back Home and Books 'n' Bits, Aishwarya provides consistent, curated, and trusted insights directly to the readership. She also hosts the podcast series Casually Obsessed. Her established role and her commitment to examining complex societal themes through a nuanced lens ensure her content is a reliable source of high-quality literary and cultural journalism.
Her extensive background across eight years also includes previous roles at Hindustan Times, where she provided dedicated coverage of politics, books, theatre, broader culture, and the Punjabi diaspora.
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Flesh begins as the story of a 15-year-old shy boy in Hungary. (Source: amazon.in)
