Written by Aishwarya KhoslaUpdated: November 11, 2025 05:59 AM IST 4 min readThe Booker Prize 2025 Winner: David Szalay is the author of six works of fiction. (Credit: David Parry for Booker Prize Foundation)The Booker Prize 2025 Winner: 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 backgroundSzalay’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.Also Read | Hungary’s historic double: László Krasznahorkai wins Nobel, David Szalay takes BookerThe winning novelFlesh 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.”Also Read | How to read László Krasznahorkai: A guide to the Hungarian ‘Master of the Apocalypse’A critically acclaimed careerThe 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.Story continues below this adA life-changing victoryWith 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 journalist, currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at aishwaryakhosla.ak@gmail.com or aishwarya.khosla@indianexpress.com. You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Booker prizeMan Booker International Prize