🔗 Share this article

The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been bestowed upon Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as declared by the Nobel awarding body.

The Academy praised the 71-year-old's "compelling and visionary collection that, amidst end-times terror, reasserts the power of the arts."

A Legacy of Dystopian Narratives

Krasznahorkai is known for his bleak, pensive books, which have won many accolades, including the recent National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his works, among them his fictional works Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been made into movies.

Early Beginnings

Hailing in the Hungarian town of Gyula in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 first book Satantango, a bleak and hypnotic depiction of a disintegrating village society.

The book would later win the Man Booker International Prize recognition in the English language nearly three decades later, in 2013.

A Unique Writing Approach

Often described as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his lengthy, intricate sentences (the dozen sections of Satantango each are a single paragraph), bleak and pensive subjects, and the kind of relentless power that has led critics to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

The novel was famously adapted into a lengthy motion picture by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring artistic collaboration.

"He is a remarkable epic writer in the central European heritage that traces back to Franz Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is defined by absurdism and grotesque excess," stated the Nobel chair, leader of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "developed towards … smooth structure with long, winding phrases without punctuation that has become his hallmark."

Literary Praise

The critic Susan Sontag has called the author as "the contemporary from Hungary master of end-times," while Sebald commended the broad relevance of his vision.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been published in English translation. The critic James Wood once noted that his books "get passed around like rare currency."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by journeys as much as by literature. He first departed from communist his homeland in 1987, spending a twelve months in the city for a grant, and later drew inspiration from Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for books such as one of his titles, and his book on China.

While working on War and War, he journeyed extensively across the continent and resided temporarily in the legendary poet's New York residence, noting the famous writer's assistance as essential to finalizing the novel.

Writer's Own Words

Questioned how he would describe his writing in an discussion, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from these characters, words; then from these words, some short sentences; then additional phrases that are longer, and in the main exceptionally extended paragraphs, for the period of 35 years. Beauty in language. Enjoyment in hell."

On readers encountering his books for the first time, he continued: "Should there be people who haven’t read my works, I would refrain from advising anything to read to them; on the contrary, I’d suggest them to go out, rest in a place, possibly by the banks of a creek, with no obligations, no thoughts, just remaining in tranquility like rocks. They will sooner or later come across someone who has encountered my novels."

Award Background

Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had ranked the favourites for this year’s award as an avant-garde author, an avant garde Chinese author, and Krasznahorkai.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been presented on over a hundred past events since the early 20th century. Recent winners have included Ernaux, Bob Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Glück, Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. Last year’s winner was the South Korean writer, the Korean writer renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally receive the medal and certificate in a event in winter in the Swedish capital.

Updates to come