David Szalay

This week, our guest is David Szalay. His novel – Flesh – was winner of the 2025 Man Booker Prize. The story begins in Hungary, and it stays close to a protagonist who moves somewhat aimlessly through life, rarely exhibiting any self-reflection. Szalay says that he wanted to write a character whose experience of the world is entirely physical, not psychological.  Critics and fellow writers like Zadie Smith have praised the book for its minimalist style and stark portrait of masculinity. On April 28, 2026, Szalay came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to Rita Bullwinkel, author of the novel Headshot and the story collection Belly Up.