David Szalay, the British-Hungarian author, has been awarded this year’s Booker Prize for his novel, “Flesh,” lauded by the judging panel as “extraordinary” and “a very special book.”
“Flesh” chronicles the life of a compelling, enigmatic, and emotionally detached protagonist as he navigates diverse stages of his existence, from a Hungarian housing estate to the realm of London’s affluent elite.
“A key factor in our selection of ‘Flesh’ was its distinctiveness. It stands apart from other works,” stated author Roddy Doyle, who presided over the judging panel. “While the narrative delves into darker themes, we unanimously found it to be a rewarding reading experience.”
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker served among the Booker Prize judges. “Flesh” has also garnered support from prominent figures such as Dua Lipa and Stormzy.
Stormzy contributed a reading from the novel for a short film presented at the Booker Prize ceremony held in London on Monday.
Dua Lipa commended the book as a “tense and gripping read” when she featured it in her book club last month.
“Flesh” has been met with widespread critical acclaim.
The Guardian described it as a “brilliantly spare portrait of a man” and a “thrilling exploration of what it means to be alive,” while the Sunday Times highlighted Szalay’s use of “just one character, Istvan, to tell these three stages of modern man.”
Critics and judges have also lauded Szalay’s concise, minimalist style in both dialogue and descriptive passages.
“We were captivated by the sparseness of the prose,” Doyle explained. “So much is revealed with subtle finesse.”
“The way he utilizes white space is truly remarkable. Grief is depicted through the use of a few blank pages.”
Reflecting on the writing style, Doyle added, “I found it utterly engrossing, and I thought the dialogue was superb – as was the absence of it.”
Booker Prize organizers have characterized “Flesh” as “a meditation on class, power, intimacy, migration and masculinity,” and have called it “a compelling portrait of one man, and the formative experiences that can reverberate across a lifetime.”
The panel of judges dedicated over five hours to deliberating the six shortlisted novels before reaching a consensus. Doyle noted that it became “very clear that this was the book that all five of us liked most.”
“They found it spare, disciplined, urgent, honest and heartbreaking,” said Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation.
“With ‘Flesh,’ they all agreed, David Szalay breaks new ground. I share the judges’ excitement over the work of an author who has been writing with ferocious and stark commitment for many years.”
“Flesh” marks Szalay’s sixth novel. He previously received a Booker nomination for “All That Man Is” in 2016, another exploration of modern masculinity.
Szalay was awarded £50,000 as this year’s recipient.
The other shortlisted novels were:
The Booker Prize stands as the UK’s most prestigious literary award and is open to novels written in the English language.
Past recipients of the Booker Prize include luminaries such as Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Hilary Mantel, and Douglas Stuart.
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