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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been bestowed upon Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the committee.

The Jury praised the author's "gripping and imaginative collection that, in the midst of apocalyptic fear, confirms the strength of the arts."

A Renowned Path of Apocalyptic Writing

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dystopian, melancholic books, which have earned many awards, including the recent National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his works, notably his novels Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Hailing in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his mid-80s initial work Satantango, a grim and captivating portrayal of a failing countryside settlement.

The book would later earn the Man Booker International Prize honor in the English language nearly three decades later, in the 2010s.

A Distinctive Literary Style

Commonly referred to as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his lengthy, intricate prose (the twelve chapters of the book each are a solitary block of text), bleak and pensive themes, and the kind of unwavering intensity that has led reviewers to liken him to literary giants like Kafka.

This work was famously made into a lengthy motion picture by director the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring working relationship.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable epic writer in the Central European literary tradition that extends through Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is marked by absurdism and grotesque exaggeration," stated Anders Olsson, head of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "progressed to … flowing structure with lengthy, intricate phrases without punctuation that has become his trademark."

Critical Acclaim

The critic Susan Sontag has described the author as "the contemporary from Hungary genius of apocalypse," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the broad relevance of his vision.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in the English language. The reviewer James Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like valuable artifacts."

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by exploration as much as by literature. He first exited the communist his homeland in the late 80s, spending a period in West Berlin for a fellowship, and later was inspired from Asia – particularly Asian nations – for works such as one of his titles, and his book on China.

While writing War and War, he explored across Europe and stayed in Ginsberg's New York residence, stating the legendary Beat poet's support as crucial to completing the book.

Krasznahorkai on His Work

Asked how he would describe his oeuvre in an conversation, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some short sentences; then further lines that are lengthier, and in the primary extremely lengthy paragraphs, for the duration of 35 years. Elegance in language. Fun in hell."

On audiences finding his work for the first time, he noted: "If there are individuals who have not yet read my works, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to read to them; instead, I’d advise them to venture outside, rest at a location, maybe by the banks of a creek, with no obligations, nothing to think about, just staying in tranquility like stones. They will in time come across a person who has previously read my works."

Literature Prize History

Ahead of the reveal, bookmakers had pegged the top contenders for this annual award as the Chinese writer, an avant garde from China writer, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been presented on 117 past events since 1901. Latest laureates include the French author, Bob Dylan, the Tanzanian-born writer, Glück, the Austrian and Tokarczuk. The most recent honoree was the South Korean writer, the South Korean writer most famous for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally accept the award and certificate in a event in the month of December in Stockholm.

Additional details forthcoming