🔗 Share this article

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

The Jury praised the 71-year-old's "gripping and imaginative body of work that, amidst cataclysmic terror, reasserts the force of creative expression."

A Renowned Path of Apocalyptic Fiction

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dystopian, pensive works, which have garnered numerous awards, including the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, notably his fictional works Satantango and another major work, have been turned into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Born in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his mid-80s first book his seminal novel, a grim and captivating portrayal of a failing village society.

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

An Unconventional Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is known for his long, winding phrases (the 12 chapters of the book each consist of a one paragraph), bleak and melancholic subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led critics to draw parallels with Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

The novel was famously made into a extended motion picture by filmmaker the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring creative partnership.

"The author is a great author of grand narratives in the European heritage that traces back to Franz Kafka to Bernhard, and is defined by absurdism and bizarre extremes," said the committee chair, chair of the Nobel jury.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "developed towards … flowing language with lengthy, intricate sentences devoid of full stops that has become his trademark."

Critical Acclaim

Susan Sontag has called the author as "today's from Hungary expert of end-times," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the universality of his perspective.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been translated into the English language. The literary critic James Wood once wrote that his books "get passed around like rare currency."

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s career has been shaped by exploration as much as by his writing. He first departed from socialist his homeland in 1987, residing a twelve months in Berlin for a fellowship, and later drew inspiration from Eastern Asia – especially Mongolia and China – for novels such as one of his titles, and another novel.

While writing this novel, he journeyed extensively across the continent and stayed in the legendary poet's New York residence, stating the famous poet's assistance as essential to completing the work.

Writer's Own Words

Questioned how he would characterize his work in an discussion, Krasznahorkai said: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some concise lines; then more sentences that are lengthier, and in the chief exceptionally extended sentences, for the period of 35 years. Beauty in language. Enjoyment in despair."

On audiences discovering his writing for the first time, he added: "If there are people who haven’t read my books, I couldn’t recommend anything to explore to them; instead, I’d advise them to go out, rest in a place, perhaps by the banks of a creek, with nothing to do, no thoughts, just staying in tranquility like boulders. They will eventually encounter someone who has encountered my novels."

Nobel Prize Context

Prior to the declaration, bookmakers had ranked the frontrunners for this year's honor as the Chinese writer, an avant garde Chinese author, and Krasznahorkai.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded on over a hundred previous occasions since 1901. Recent recipients have included Annie Ernaux, the musician, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. The most recent honoree was Han Kang, the Korean novelist best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally accept the medal and diploma in a ceremony in the month of December in the Swedish capital.

Updates to come