David Szalay has won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Meat.
The decision marks a shift in literary focus, as the winning book is described by judges as “dark”, triumphant in turning its gaze on a demographic often overlooked in literary fiction and funding deep humanity within its spare prose.
The story revolves around the protagonist, István, from his youth in a Hungarian social housing estate to his unlikely ascent into London’s world of extreme wealth.
Chairman of the judging panel, Roddy Doyle, stated that the book was “home to a working-class man who doesn’t usually get much of a look in.”
He further added that the novel “invites us to look behind the face” of an ordinary man who is often rendered invisible.
With the book’s win, it’s clear that the Booker judges valued emotional authenticity over escapism.
Szalay’s minimalist approach, using blank pages to show sadness and sparse dialogue, forces readers to engage deeply with István’s inner world.
“It’s a dark book in many ways, but it’s a joy to read,” Doyle noted, focusing on his novel’s power in its unflinching honesty rather than a redemptive narrative.
The victory also shows a broader cultural moment where stories of class, migration and complex masculinity resonate deeply.
By awarding MeatThe Booker Prize has not only crowned an exceptional novel, but has also confirmed the profound literary value of telling quiet, challenging stories from the margins of society.
Other contenders for the 2025 Booker Prize were Susan Choi’s FlashlightKiran Desai’s Sonia and Sunny’s lonelinessKatie Kitamura’s AuditionBen Markovits’s The rest of our livesand Andrew Miller’s The country in winter.
