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

The Academy praised the 71-year-old's "gripping and imaginative collection that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, confirms the force of art."

A Renowned Path of Apocalyptic Writing

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dark, pensive works, which have won many prizes, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his works, including his novels Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been adapted into movies.

Initial Success

Born in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 first book Satantango, a grim and hypnotic portrayal of a failing village society.

The book would go on to win the Man Booker International Prize award in translation decades after, in the 2010s.

A Distinctive Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is known for his extended, meandering phrases (the dozen sections of the book each are a solitary block of text), apocalyptic and melancholic themes, and the kind of persistent force that has led literary experts to compare him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

The novel was famously made into a seven-hour movie by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring working relationship.

"He is a remarkable writer of epic tales in the European heritage that extends through Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is defined by the absurd and grotesque excess," stated Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel committee.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "evolved into … smooth language with extended, meandering lines devoid of periods that has become his trademark."

Literary Praise

Susan Sontag has described the author as "today's Hungarian expert of end-times," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the broad relevance of his perspective.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been rendered in English translation. The reviewer Wood once remarked that his books "are shared like precious items."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been molded by exploration as much as by his writing. He first exited the communist his homeland in 1987, residing a twelve months in West Berlin for a scholarship, and later was inspired from east Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for novels such as a specific work, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While developing War and War, he journeyed extensively across Europe and resided temporarily in Ginsberg's New York home, describing the renowned poet's assistance as crucial to finishing the work.

Writer's Own Words

Inquired how he would characterize his work in an discussion, Krasznahorkai answered: "Characters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some short sentences; then more sentences that are longer, and in the main very long paragraphs, for the duration of decades. Elegance in language. Fun in darkness."

On fans finding his books for the first time, he noted: "Should there be individuals who haven’t read my novels, I would refrain from advising a particular book to read to them; rather, I’d suggest them to go out, settle at a location, possibly by the side of a brook, with no obligations, a clear mind, just remaining in quiet like boulders. They will eventually encounter an individual who has already read my books."

Nobel Prize Context

Before the announcement, bookmakers had listed the favourites for this annual award as the Chinese writer, an experimental Chinese writer, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been given on 117 past events since the early 20th century. Recent laureates have included Annie Ernaux, Dylan, the Tanzanian-born writer, Glück, Handke and Tokarczuk. The most recent honoree was Han Kang, the Korean writer best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the prize medal and document in a event in December in Stockholm.

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