David Szalay Wins Booker Prize 2025 for ‘Flesh’

Favorite of the Booker Prize committee and Dua Lipa's Book ClubThis year's Man Booker Prize winner is Hungarian-British writer David Szalay for his sixth novel. Flesh. He accepted the award presented by last year's winner, Samantha Harveyat the November 10 ceremony in London. The novel, published in April, is about a Hungarian man named István whose life is shattered by uncontrollable events starting as a teenager, including a romance that goes horribly wrong. In conversation with Dua Lipa about the novel Salai described how many people like Istavan live passively: “Life affects us all in ways we cannot control.”

Szalay was previously shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize for his collection of short stories entitled Everything that a person is. The book did not win the Booker Prize, but did win the Gordon Burn Prize. Salai beat former Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai this year. Loneliness of Sonya and Sunny and Pulitzer Prize finalist Susan Choi for Flashlight. Other books shortlisted included a book by Katie Kitamura. ListeningBenjamin Markowitz The rest of our lives and Andrew Miller Earth in winter. As for how Salai will celebrate, just like his main character, he will speak simply. “I think we’ll go back to Vienna,” he told Booker Prize presenter and comedian Shabazz Ali. “I’ll have to pay for extra luggage weight or something.”