Overview
- At a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London, Szalay received the £50,000 prize and the Booker trophy, presented by 2024 winner Samantha Harvey.
- The panel, chaired by Roddy Doyle with judges Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Power, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and Kiley Reid, selected the winner from roughly 153 submissions after multi-hour deliberations.
- Flesh follows a taciturn Hungarian man across decades and borders, with critics and judges highlighting its minimalist prose, use of white space and themes of masculinity, class, migration and power.
- Szalay prevailed over a six-book shortlist featuring Kiran Desai, Andrew Miller, Susan Choi, Katie Kitamura and Ben Markovits, defying betting favorites Desai and Miller.
- The win caps a notable trajectory for the Canadian‑born, UK‑raised author—previously shortlisted in 2016—and is expected to lift sales and visibility; publisher Jonathan Cape adds another Booker to its record tally.