bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

British-Hungarian writer David Szalay won the Booker Prize on Monday for his novel Flesh, a tortured story of a Hungarian émigré who makes and loses a fortune.
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 (US$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.
His sixth novel, Flesh is another unflattering exploration of masculinity, using sparse prose to track the Hungarian protagonist from military service in his home country to working for the ultra-wealthy in London.

His tormented life includes affairs with older women and fighting in Iraq.
The five judges considered 135 books to crown one the best work of long-form fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
Among the six shortlisted works, one kept dominating the conversation, according to chair of the judges Roddy Doyle.
He called Flesh a “singular” and “extraordinary” novel.
“We had never read anything quite like it. It is, in many ways, a dark book but it is a joy to read,” said Doyle, a writer and winner of the 1993 Booker Prize.
The judging panel also included Sex and the City actor Sarah Jessica Parker alongside authors Ayobami Adebayo and Kiley Reid as well as critic and writer Chris Power.

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 triumphed over 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.
The other shortlisted novels this year were Susan Choi’s Flashlight, Katie Kitamura’s Audition, and Ben Markovits’ The Rest of Our Lives.
Last year’s prize was won by British writer Samantha Harvey for her short novel, Orbital, following six astronauts as they contemplate Earth from the International Space Station.
Harvey presented this year’s Booker Prize to Szalay.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Szalay grew up in London and now lives in Vienna. He is the author of six works of fiction.


Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88

Fashion designer Jeffrey Banks, Ralph Lauren’s ‘other son’, shares his story in new memoir

8 viral tote bags, from Trader Joe’s to Gentlewoman – and Emily Ratajkowski’s Daunt Books tote

How a childhood scandal and Macau’s shadows shaped Lawrence Osborne’s anti-hero

Books and literature

British-Hungarian writer David Szalay wins Booker Prize for ‘Flesh’

Author David Szalay after being named as the winner of the 2025 Booker Prize. Photo: PA via AP

 David Szalay with his book ‘Flesh’. Photo: AFP

David Szalay, third right, with the judges after receiving the trophy. Photo: AP

Trump threatens to sue BBC for US$1 billion over edited speech, demands retraction

BBC Broadcasting House in London. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on January 6, 2021, near the White House in Washington before his supporters stormed the US Capitol. Photo: TNS

BBC news chief Deborah Turness, who quit on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Director General of the BBC, Tim Davie. File photo: TNS

Children’s Booker Prize for kids’ fiction announced, adults and youngsters choose winner

The Children’s Booker Prize will see an author selected annually from 2027 to celebrate the “best contemporary fiction” for children aged eight to 12 years old. Photo: Shutterstock

Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who has written more than 100 books, was appointed a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in June 2025 for “services to literature”. Photo: Getty Images

Gaby Wood is chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation. Photo: Getty Images

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is the UK’s Children’s Laureate and will be the inaugural chair of judges for the Children’s Booker Prize. Photo: Getty Images

Britain in danger of repeating Brexit mistakes with China relations

Illustration: Craig Stephens

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Sheraton Hotel, as he attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping and British prime minister David Cameron enjoy a pint at the Plough pub in Princess Risborough near Chequers in London, on October 22, 2015, during the “golden era” of UK-China relations. Photo: AFP

UK man who wanted to be ‘like James Bond’ jailed for trying to spy for Russia

Howard Phillips was jailed on Friday for assisting a foreign intelligence service. Photo: Metropolitan Police via Reuters

Britain’s Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps gives a speech in London in January 2024. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Europe

Culture

Books

Szalay’s exploration of troubled masculinity beat favourites Kiran Desai and Andrew Miller to claim the prestigious US$65,500 literary award


Szalay’s exploration of troubled masculinity beat favourites Kiran Desai and Andrew Miller to claim the prestigious US$65,500 literary award.


Britain

Hungary