With his novel Flesh, British Hungarian David Szalay has achieved the double feat of a nomination to the prestigious Booker Prize and writing a book that is being read by people who normally don’t read.
In contrast to the title, the language of the novel is cut to the bone. In a sparse and direct language, Szalay portrays the protagonist István through a number of episodes from his childhood and adult life, where some of the stops include an early sexual debut, a stay in a juvenile detention center, military service during the war in Iraq, and immigration followed by a climbing of the social ladder in London. István moves through life seemingly without purpose, often letting the women around him or his own body’s reactions dictate his path.
What is it like to live in a male body in today’s Europe? The ideal for masculinity is in flux, but the needs of the body are timeless. Through István’s life, Szalay explores how body, sexuality and money are tangled up in our society.
David Szalay is the author if six novels, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. He is twice nominated for the Booker Prize, and is the winner of awards including the Betty Trask Award and the Plimpton Prize for Fiction.
At the House of Literature, Szalay is joined by writer and journalist Lars Petter Sveen for a conversation about masculinity, sexuality, and a social mobility round trip.
The conversation will be in English.
