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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been granted to from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Nobel awarding body.

The Academy praised the author's "compelling and visionary oeuvre that, amidst apocalyptic dread, reasserts the strength of creative expression."

A Legacy of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his bleak, melancholic books, which have earned numerous accolades, such as the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his works, notably his novels Satantango and another major work, have been made into movies.

Early Beginnings

Hailing in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his mid-80s first book Satantango, a grim and captivating portrayal of a collapsing village society.

The book would go on to secure the Man Booker International Prize recognition in the English language nearly three decades later, in 2013.

A Unique Writing Approach

Commonly referred to as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his extended, meandering phrases (the 12 chapters of the book each consist of a solitary block of text), apocalyptic and melancholic themes, and the kind of persistent intensity that has led critics to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

Satantango was widely made into a seven-hour film by filmmaker the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring artistic collaboration.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable writer of epic tales in the Central European tradition that traces back to Franz Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is characterised by the absurd and grotesque exaggeration," commented the committee chair, head of the Nobel jury.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … smooth language with lengthy, intricate lines without full stops that has become his hallmark."

Critical Acclaim

Susan Sontag has referred to the author as "the contemporary Hungarian genius of apocalypse," while WG Sebald applauded the universality of his outlook.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been translated into the English language. The critic James Wood once noted that his books "get passed around like valuable artifacts."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been molded by exploration as much as by language. He first exited socialist the country in 1987, staying a twelve months in the city for a grant, and later was inspired from Asia – especially Asian nations – for novels such as a specific work, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While developing War and War, he journeyed extensively across the continent and lived for a time in the legendary poet's New York home, describing the famous poet's support as crucial to finalizing the book.

Krasznahorkai on His Work

Inquired how he would characterize his oeuvre in an conversation, Krasznahorkai responded: "Characters; then from letters, words; then from these words, some brief phrases; then more sentences that are more extended, and in the chief very long paragraphs, for the duration of decades. Elegance in prose. Fun in darkness."

On fans finding his work for the initial encounter, he added: "Should there be readers who haven’t read my novels, I couldn’t recommend anything to peruse to them; instead, I’d suggest them to go out, settle in a place, maybe by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, no thoughts, just being in silence like rocks. They will eventually meet a person who has previously read my novels."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, betting agencies had pegged the frontrunners for this year’s honor as an avant-garde author, an experimental Chinese author, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Honor in Literary Arts has been awarded on 117 previous occasions since the early 20th century. Current winners have included Annie Ernaux, the musician, the Tanzanian-born writer, the poet, the Austrian and the Polish author. Last year’s winner was Han Kang, the South Korean author best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially receive the medal and diploma in a ceremony in winter in Stockholm, Sweden.

Updates to come