István isn't one of the most talkative characters in literary fiction. He says "yeah" and "okay" a lot, and is mostly reactive to the world around him. But that quietness covers up a tumultuous life — from Hungary to England, from poverty to being in close contact with the super-rich.

He's the center of David Szalay's latest novel, Flesh , which just won this year's Booker Prize. "We had never read anything quite like it," said Roddy Doyle, chair of this year's prize, in a statement announcing the win. "I don't think I've read a novel that uses the white space on the page so well. It's as if the author, David Szalay, is inviting the reader to fill the space, to observe — almost to create — the character with him."

The Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in literature. It

See Full Page