🔗 Share this article

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

The Jury commended the 71-year-old's "gripping and imaginative oeuvre that, amidst cataclysmic terror, confirms the strength of the arts."

A Legacy of Bleak Writing

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dystopian, somber novels, which have won many accolades, for instance the recent National Book Award for literature in translation and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, notably his titles Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into movies.

Initial Success

Hailing in the Hungarian town of Gyula in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his 1985 debut novel Satantango, a dark and hypnotic representation of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The work would eventually secure the Man Booker International Prize recognition in the English language nearly three decades later, in the 2010s.

A Distinctive Prose Technique

Often described as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is known for his extended, meandering phrases (the 12 chapters of the book each comprise a one paragraph), apocalyptic and melancholic themes, and the kind of persistent intensity that has led critics to compare him to Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

The novel was notably made into a seven-hour movie by filmmaker the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy working relationship.

"He is a remarkable epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is defined by absurdist elements and bizarre extremes," commented Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "evolved into … smooth language with extended, meandering phrases devoid of full stops that has become his hallmark."

Literary Praise

Sontag has described the author as "the modern Hungarian master of the apocalyptic," while WG Sebald commended the broad relevance of his vision.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been published in English translation. The reviewer James Wood once wrote that his books "are shared like precious items."

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been molded by journeys as much as by literature. He first left communist the country in 1987, spending a twelve months in West Berlin for a grant, and later was inspired from Asia – especially Asian nations – for novels such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While developing this novel, he travelled widely across European nations and resided temporarily in Ginsberg's New York residence, noting the renowned poet's assistance as vital to finishing the novel.

Writer's Own Words

Asked how he would characterize his work in an interview, Krasznahorkai responded: "Characters; then from letters, words; then from these terms, some short sentences; then more sentences that are more extended, and in the primary extremely lengthy paragraphs, for the duration of 35 years. Beauty in writing. Enjoyment in darkness."

On fans finding his books for the first time, he added: "For any people who are new to my novels, I couldn’t recommend anything to read to them; on the contrary, I’d suggest them to venture outside, rest at a location, possibly by the side of a brook, with nothing to do, nothing to think about, just staying in tranquility like boulders. They will eventually encounter an individual who has previously read my works."

Award Background

Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had ranked the top contenders for this year’s award as an avant-garde author, an avant garde Chinese writer, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Prize in Literary Arts has been presented on 117 prior instances since the early 20th century. Current winners are Ernaux, the musician, Gurnah, Glück, the Austrian and Olga Tokarczuk. Last year’s winner was Han Kang, the from South Korea novelist best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially accept the medal and document in a ceremony in the month of December in Stockholm, Sweden.

Additional details forthcoming