David Szalay, winner of the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh, faces mounting speculation that his book closely mirrors Stanley Kubrick's 1975 film Barry Lyndon. Readers and critics have noted striking similarities between the two works, prompting questions about inspiration and homage.
Flesh follows István, a young working-class Hungarian who rises from poverty to London's elite before losing everything. This trajectory mirrors that of Barry Lyndon, an Irishman who enlists in the army, marries a wealthy woman, grieves a son, clashes with a stepson, and ultimately loses his fortune. Critics have pointed to specific parallels, such as a scene in which István comments on the use of blue in a painting at the National Gallery, echoing a similar line in Kubrick's film.
Despite these similarities, Szalay has not listed Kubrick's film as an influence. In a podcast, he cited works by Shakespeare, Woolf, Conrad, Houellebecq, and Faw as inspirations. However, in a November interview with The Observer, he acknowledged seeing Barry Lyndon at age 20 and said its "rags-to-riches arc was an influence." In a forthcoming BBC Radio 4 episode, he denies that Flesh is a "direct reference" to the film, though he concedes he may have been "influenced by it in some way."
Writer David Sexton, in The New Statesman and The Standard, argues that Flesh is a "thorough revision and updating" of Kubrick's film, calling it "a vital tribute." Aled Maclean-Jones first noted the resemblance in June 2025, describing Flesh as a "near beat-for-beat mirror." Szalay's representatives have not commented.
