Canadian writer David Szalay has been selected as one of the six finalists for the 2025 Booker Prize, which awards £50,000 annually to the best original English-language novel published in the U.K. Szalay, a Montreal native, is nominated for his book “Flesh,” depicting the tumultuous life of István, a 15-year-old entangled in a risky affair with a married woman that leads to a series of chaotic events. As István matures, he embraces a reckless lifestyle, fulfilling his desires until they threaten to destroy him.
Szalay’s previous work, “All That Man Is,” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016 and won the Gordon Burn Prize. His repertoire includes acclaimed books like “Turbulence” and “London and the South-East,” the latter securing the Betty Trask Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. He is currently based in Vienna, representing Canada as the sole contender for the coveted award, after Maria Reva, a British Columbia-based author, made it to the 2025 Booker Prize longlist with her debut novel “Endling,” now competing for the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.
The Booker Prize jury for this year, led by Irish novelist Roddy Doyle, features prominent members such as Nigerian novelist Ayobami Adebayo, British broadcaster Chris Power, American writer Kiley Reid, and actress Sarah Jessica Parker. Doyle expressed his delight in reviewing the 13 longlisted books, acknowledging the difficulty in narrowing down to the final six, praising the selected novels for their unique storytelling and profound humanity.
The shortlist for the 2025 Booker Prize includes works like “Flashlight” by Susan Choi, “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” by Kiran Desai, “Audition” by Katie Kitamura, “The Rest of Our Lives” by Ben Markovits, “The Land in Winter” by Andrew Miller, and David Szalay’s “Flesh.” The authors on the shortlist will each receive £2,500 and a special edition of their book. The winner will be revealed at the award ceremony on November 10 at Old Billingsgate in London.
Since 2013, authors of any nationality have been eligible for the Booker Prize, with past Canadian winners including Margaret Atwood and shared winner Bernardine Evaristo in 2019. Notable Canadian victors before them are Michael Ondaatje in 1992 for “The English Patient” and Yann Martel in 2002 for “Life of Pi.” Samantha Harvey, a British writer, clinched the title in the previous year for her novel “Orbital.”
