British-Hungarian-born David Zarai won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh. The award was presented in London on Monday evening, November 10th. Mr Zarai was previously nominated in 2016 for his novel All That Man Is, which won him the £50,000 prize. The jurors had “never read anything like this before,” said jury foreman and author Roddy Doyle.
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The Booker Prize is awarded annually to the best English novel published in the UK and/or Ireland. The winner will receive a cash prize, which currently stands at £50,000. The International Booker Prize is awarded to the best work of fiction translated into English. In this case, the cash value is split between the author and the translator.
The actor’s sixth novel follows Istvan’s life from adolescence to middle age, from an incident in Hungary to a move to London, where the protagonist works for a wealthy family. The Booker judges said Flesh was “a dark book in many ways, but a joy to read”.
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Jury chairman Roddy Doyle, who won the award in 1993, said the judges had “never read a book like this.” “This is a dark book in many ways, but it’s fun to read.” The film focuses on working-class men and explores themes such as masculinity, social class, immigration, trauma, sex, and power.
The 2025 Man Booker Prize jury was made up of actress Sarah Jessica Parker, writers Chris Power, Ibami Adebaye, Kylie Reid and president Roddy Doyle.
‘Fresh’ beat out a strong shortlist that included British bookmaker favorite ‘The Land in Winter’ by Andrew Miller. Kirin Desai’s “Sonia and Sunny’s Loneliness”, which won the same award in 2006, also competed. “Flashlight” by Susan Choi. Katie Kitamura “Audition”. and “The Rest of My Life” by Ben Markovitz.
David Szalay was born in Montreal to a Hungarian father and Canadian mother and grew up in London. A graduate of Oxford University, he worked as a sales executive in financial advertising, which was the inspiration for his debut novel, London and the South East. He is also the author of the novels Spring, The Innocent, and the short story collection Turbulence.
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