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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2025 has been granted to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as declared by the Nobel awarding body.

The Jury commended the 71-year-old's "compelling and visionary body of work that, in the midst of cataclysmic fear, confirms the force of creative expression."

A Legacy of Apocalyptic Narratives

Krasznahorkai is known for his bleak, melancholic works, which have won many awards, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his novels, among them his titles Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into cinematic works.

Initial Success

Hailing in Gyula, Hungary in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 initial work Satantango, a grim and hypnotic depiction of a failing rural community.

The book would eventually earn the Man Booker International Prize award in translation many years later, in 2013.

A Unique Prose Technique

Commonly referred to as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is famous for his extended, meandering sentences (the 12 chapters of the book each comprise a one paragraph), apocalyptic and pensive themes, and the kind of persistent force that has led reviewers to compare him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

Satantango was famously adapted into a extended movie by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy creative partnership.

"Krasznahorkai is a significant author of grand narratives in the European tradition that traces back to Kafka to Bernhard, and is defined by absurdism and bizarre extremes," said Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s style as having "evolved into … flowing structure with extended, meandering lines devoid of punctuation that has become his signature."

Critical Acclaim

The critic Susan Sontag has described the author as "the modern Hungarian genius of end-times," while WG Sebald commended the wide appeal of his outlook.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been rendered in the English language. The literary critic Wood once remarked that his books "get passed around like valuable artifacts."

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been influenced by exploration as much as by his writing. He first exited socialist his homeland in 1987, residing a year in West Berlin for a grant, and later found inspiration from Asia – particularly China and Mongolia – for works such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While working on this novel, he travelled widely across Europe and lived for a time in Ginsberg's New York apartment, noting the legendary writer's support as crucial to finishing the book.

Author's Perspective

Asked how he would describe his work in an conversation, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some brief phrases; then more sentences that are longer, and in the chief very long sentences, for the span of 35 years. Elegance in language. Enjoyment in despair."

On audiences discovering his work for the initial encounter, he continued: "For any readers who are new to my works, I would refrain from advising any specific title to read to them; rather, I’d recommend them to go out, sit down at a location, possibly by the side of a brook, with no obligations, a clear mind, just staying in silence like stones. They will sooner or later meet an individual who has already read my works."

Literature Prize History

Before the announcement, oddsmakers had listed the favourites for this year's honor as the Chinese writer, an innovative Chinese novelist, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Prize in Literary Arts has been presented on 117 past events since 1901. Recent laureates include the French author, Bob Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Louise Glück, the Austrian and Tokarczuk. Last year’s winner was the South Korean writer, the Korean writer best known for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially be presented with the award and document in a event in winter in the Swedish capital.

Updates to come