On Monday (10), Hungarian-British writer David Szalái (52 years old) won the Booker Prize, a British literary award that honors works of fiction in the English language, for his sixth novel, “Flesh.”
Beginning with a striking incident, the work narrates the life of one man, the Hungarian István, from his troubled adolescence to middle age.
The novel deals with themes such as masculinity, social class, immigration, trauma, gender, and power.
By winning the $65,000 prize, he defeated the two most likely candidates, Indian novelist Kiran Desai, who won in 2006, and British Andrew Miller. This announcement was made at a ceremony held in London.
In 2006, Salai was a finalist for All That Man Is, which tells the story of nine men at different moments in their lives.
Writers like Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood or Arundhati Roy have already won the Booker Prize.
Chairman of the jury Roddy Doyle, who won the prize in 1993, said: “The judges have never read anything like this before. It’s a dark book in many ways, but it’s a pleasure to read.”
The award jury included former president and winner Roddy Doyle and “Sex and the City” actress Sarah Jessica Parker.
In 2024, British Samantha Harvey won the novel “Orbital,” which revolves around six astronauts contemplating Earth from the International Space Station. This is the fifth novel by the writer, who previously competed for the same award in 2009 for “The Wilderness.”
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