In a historic moment for literary excellence, Hungarian-British author David Szalay has been crowned the winner of the prestigious 2025 Booker Prize for his sixth novel, Flesh. The announcement, made at London's Old Billingsgate venue, marks a significant milestone as Szalay becomes the first writer of Hungarian heritage to claim one of literature's most coveted awards.
A Night of Personal Triumph
The atmosphere at the award ceremony was electric with anticipation, but for David Szalay, the evening carried a deeply personal significance. In his heartfelt acceptance speech, the author revealed that he had considered Flesh "quite a risky novel" from its conception. The book's stark prose and uncompromising title had filled him with uncertainty about its reception by the literary community.
Szalay shared a revealing moment from the book's journey, recalling how he had questioned his editor, Hannah Weston at Jonathan Cape, about whether a novel titled Flesh could ever win the Booker Prize. "It felt risky to me writing it," the visibly emotional author confessed to the assembled audience, holding his trophy tightly. He emphasized the importance of publishers and the literary world embracing creative risk rather than avoiding it.
The Judging Process and Unanimous Decision
The 2025 judging panel, chaired by 1993 Booker winner Roddy Doyle, undertook an exhaustive evaluation process. Doyle humorously noted that the judges had read all six shortlisted books three times, comparing this to his own practice of reading his books only once. However, he turned serious when describing the panel's decisive moment of agreement.
"There was one book that we kept coming back to," Doyle revealed, "one book in particular that made us all... sit up and smile." This unanimous recognition pointed directly to Szalay's Flesh, a novel that spans decades and geographies in what judges described as a propulsive and penetrating exploration of human experience.
Fellow judges, including actress Sarah Jessica Parker and author Kiley Reid, provided insights into their rigorous deliberation methods. Parker described secretly reading chapters between film takes, while Reid employed a unique approach of making books "fight a little bit" by reading competing titles in alternating one-hour sessions.
From Creative Struggle to Literary Triumph
The path to Flesh was anything but straightforward for Szalay. In a post-ceremony conversation with host Samira Ahmed, the author disclosed that he began writing Flesh immediately after abandoning another novel that had consumed years of his life—a substantial work of 80,000 to 100,000 words.
"This wasn't necessarily a very easy book to write," Szalay admitted from the podium. He dedicated his win to his wife, Oshoya, whom he described as the "only real witness" to his creative struggles. "I'm sure she is as bewildered as I am by the fact that those rather bleak times and this glittering evening are somehow part of the same process," he reflected emotionally.
This victory represents a triumphant return to the Booker spotlight for Szalay, who had previously been shortlisted in 2016. The win not only validates his artistic vision but also provides practical relief. When questioned about his plans for the £50,000 prize money, Szalay laughed that it would "keep the wolf a bit further from the door," though he acknowledged the possibility of treating himself to a well-deserved holiday.
Legacy and Looking Forward
As the ceremony concluded, Roddy Doyle offered the new laureate some seasoned advice from one winner to another: "Say no to everything. Get home as quickly as you can, lock the door." However, for David Szalay, the door to literary recognition has been blown wide open.
His novel Flesh—a courageous exploration of a Hungarian man navigating life in London—has been affirmed not merely as a work of art but as the definitive book of 2025. The achievement demonstrates that in literature, as in life, the most significant rewards often await on the other side of risk-taking and creative courage.
