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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been granted to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Swedish Academy.

The Jury praised the seventy-one-year-old's "compelling and visionary collection that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, confirms the strength of creative expression."

An Esteemed Career of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is known for his bleak, pensive novels, which have earned several prizes, such as the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his works, including his titles Satantango and another major work, have been turned into movies.

Debut Novel

Hailing in the Hungarian town of Gyula in 1954, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 debut novel his seminal novel, a grim and captivating portrayal of a failing countryside settlement.

The work would eventually secure the Man Booker International Prize honor in English decades after, in 2013.

A Distinctive Literary Style

Frequently labeled as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his long, winding prose (the 12 chapters of Satantango each consist of a single paragraph), apocalyptic and somber subjects, and the kind of unwavering intensity that has led critics to draw parallels with Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

The novel was widely adapted into a lengthy film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring working relationship.

"He is a significant writer of epic tales in the central European literary tradition that extends through Franz Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is characterised by absurdist elements and grotesque excess," commented Anders Olsson, head of the Nobel panel.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … continuous syntax with long, winding phrases lacking full stops that has become his signature."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has described the author as "today's from Hungary genius of the apocalyptic," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the broad relevance of his perspective.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been translated into the English language. The critic Wood once noted that his books "circulate like rare currency."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been influenced by journeys as much as by his writing. He first left communist Hungary in 1987, spending a year in the city for a grant, and later drew inspiration from Asia – particularly Mongolia and China – for works such as a specific work, and another novel.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across European nations and stayed in Allen Ginsberg’s New York apartment, stating the renowned Beat poet's support as essential to finishing the book.

Author's Perspective

Questioned how he would characterize his writing in an discussion, Krasznahorkai responded: "Characters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some brief phrases; then more sentences that are more extended, and in the primary very long paragraphs, for the span of three and a half decades. Beauty in prose. Fun in darkness."

On readers encountering his writing for the first time, he continued: "If there are people who are new to my novels, I would not suggest a particular book to explore to them; instead, I’d advise them to venture outside, settle somewhere, possibly by the edge of a stream, with nothing to do, no thoughts, just remaining in tranquility like rocks. They will sooner or later encounter someone who has previously read my works."

Nobel Prize Context

Prior to the declaration, betting agencies had pegged the favourites for this annual award as an avant-garde author, an experimental Chinese novelist, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Prize in Writing has been awarded on one hundred seventeen previous occasions since 1901. Recent laureates include the French author, Bob Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, the Austrian and Olga Tokarczuk. The most recent recipient was the South Korean writer, the from South Korea novelist renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially receive the medal and certificate in a event in December in Stockholm.

Additional details forthcoming