The British-Hungarian writer David Szalay appeared at the Liszt Institute London, where he spoke about his ties to Hungary and the city of Pécs, the intense media attention that has followed his award, and the forthcoming Hungarian edition of his novel ’Flesh’. He also told the audience that a film adaptation of the book is in development, with some scenes due to be shot in Hungary.
Szalay rose to wider international prominence in November 2025, when Flesh won the Booker Prize, the most prestigious award in English-language fiction. Written in a spare and unsentimental style, the novel examines masculinity, social mobility, and the ways in which individual lives are shaped by forces beyond their control. Its story is closely tied to both Hungary and London, making the London event a particularly resonant occasion for Hungarian readers.
Speaking to a packed audience of Hungarian and international guests, Szalay reflected on his childhood visits to Hungary and on the years he later spent living in Pécs, which he described as an important source of inspiration for the novel. He said it was especially meaningful to discuss the book with a Hungarian audience for the first time, not least because the character of István was shaped by experiences and impressions that may feel familiar to Hungarians who have built their lives abroad.
The novel follows István from the final years of state socialism through the Iraq War and into working life in England, tracing a path marked less by deliberate choice than by the pressures of circumstance. During the discussion, Szalay also named Imre Kertész’s Fatelessness as a recommendation for readers less familiar with Hungarian literature.
He further revealed that Flesh is being adapted for the screen by House Productions, the company behind Conclave and Zone of Interest, with Hungarian locations and Hungarian actors expected to feature in the production.
For two decades, the Liszt Institute London has been a key institution in British-Hungarian cultural life. Szalay’s appearance there was therefore more than a literary event: it also served as a symbolic meeting point between the Hungarian and British contexts that shape both his life and his work.
Born in Canada, raised in London, and now based in Vienna, Szalay is the author of six books of fiction. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages, and he has also written radio plays for the BBC. The Telegraph named him one of the twenty best British writers under forty in 2010, while Granta included him among its best young British novelists in 2013. His 2016 book All That Man Is was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Turbulence won the Edge Hill Prize in 2019. The success of Flesh marks the most significant milestone of his career to date.