Author David Szalay poses with his book 'Flesh' as he arrives for the Booker Prize 2025 ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo)
Canadian-born writer David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his daring and minimalist novel Flesh. The announcement came Monday night, marking a major milestone in the author’s career and a proud moment for Canadian literature.
Szalay, who was born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and Hungarian father, accepted the award with a touch of humor. Recalling an early conversation with his editor Hannah Westland, he said they once questioned if a novel titled Flesh could ever win the Booker. “Hannah, you have your answer, I guess,” Szalay said with a smile.
A Story Told in Silences
Flesh follows a detached Hungarian man who rises through England’s social ranks after serving in Iraq. What sets the novel apart, jurors said, is its masterful restraint — its ability to say so much through what remains unsaid.
Large portions of the protagonist’s life are deliberately left off the page, leaving readers to fill in the gaps. His experiences in prison as a teenager and his time as a soldier are hinted at but never fully told.
Praised for Its Spare, Powerful Writing
The judging panel, which included past Booker winner Roddy Doyle and actor Sarah Jessica Parker, praised Szalay’s distinctive storytelling style.
“We loved the spareness of the writing,” Doyle said. “So much was revealed without us being overly aware that it was being revealed.”
The Booker Prize, worth roughly $90,000, recognizes the best work of English-language fiction published in the U.K. or Ireland each year.
A Return to the Booker Stage
This isn’t Szalay’s first encounter with the prestigious award. He was previously shortlisted in 2016 for All That Man Is, a collection of nine interconnected stories exploring different stages of male life.
Reflecting on that earlier success, Szalay told media in September that he felt a quiet pressure for Flesh to live up to his past work. “There’s always a sense of wanting your newest book not to feel like a step back,” he said.
Taking Creative Risks
During his acceptance speech, Szalay described Flesh as a “risky book” — from its provocative title to its unconventional narrative form. Yet, he said, fiction is precisely where such risks belong.
“I think it’s very important that we did take those risks,” he said. “Novels are the perfect place for that.”
He added with characteristic wit that writing remains one of the most accessible art forms. “All you need is to keep a writer supplied with coffee and a few essentials for a year or two, and you’ve got a novel. It’s almost free.”
A Canadian Connection
Szalay moved to England when he was just a year old and now divides his time between Austria and Hungary. His win marks the first time since 2019 that a Canadian has claimed the Booker, following Margaret Atwood’s joint victory for The Testaments alongside Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other.
With Flesh, Szalay has cemented his reputation as one of the most refined and fearless voices in contemporary fiction — proving that even the quietest writing can speak volumes.
