David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize for 'Flesh', Beating Kiran Desai
Hungarian-born British author David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel 'Flesh', surpassing Indian author Kiran Desai. 'Flesh' tells the story of an emotionally detached man. Kiran Desai had previously won the Booker Prize in 2006. The judges praised 'Flesh' for its uniqueness.
The announcement was made at a ceremony in London. Szalay competed against Kiran Desai's novel 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny'. The 51-year-old Szalay received £50,000 (approximately INR 58 lakh) and a trophy from last year’s Booker winner, Samantha Harvey. Born in Montreal to a Hungarian father and Canadian mother, Szalay was raised in London. He is also the author of the novels 'Spring' and 'The Innocent', and the short story collection 'Turbulence'. In 2016, his novel 'All That Man Is' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
About 'Flesh'
'Flesh' narrates the life of an emotionally detached individual who struggles against circumstances. It is Szalay's sixth work, and his judges remarked: "Through minimalistic prose, this powerful book creates a strikingly poignant portrait of a man's life."
Kiran Desai Misses Becoming a Two-Time Winner
Kiran Desai missed the opportunity to become a two-time Booker Prize winner, having won in 2006 for 'The Inheritance of Loss'. Desai said her new novel explored global loneliness through a complex love story, blending traditional Indian storytelling with contemporary romance.
Her 667-page novel, 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny', was praised as "an epic of love, family, India, and America, tradition and modernity, revolving around two young Indians, Sonia and Sunny." Judges highlighted the novel's intimate yet expansive narrative, filled with class, race, and nationality, and commended its philosophical, humorous, serious, and emotional writing style.
'Flesh' Earns the Prize
Ultimately, 'Flesh' captured the judges' hearts and was announced as the 2025 winner at a ceremony in London's Old Billingsgate. Irish novelist Rody Doyle, chair of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, said: "What particularly impressed us about 'Flesh' was its uniqueness. It is unlike any other book. It is a serious book, but we all enjoyed reading it."
Other shortlisted works included 'Flashlight' by Korean-American author Susan Choi, 'Audition' by Japanese-American author Katie Kitamura, 'The Rest of Our Lives' by British-American author Ben Markovits, and 'The Land in Winter' by English novelist Andrew Miller.