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The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been bestowed upon from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Swedish Academy.

The Academy praised the author's "gripping and imaginative oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic dread, reaffirms the strength of art."

A Legacy of Bleak Writing

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dark, melancholic books, which have won several awards, including the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his novels, including his fictional works his debut and another major work, have been made into movies.

Initial Success

Originating in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his 1985 first book his seminal novel, a dark and captivating representation of a collapsing village society.

The book would eventually win the Man Booker International Prize award in the English language nearly three decades later, in 2013.

A Unique Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his extended, meandering prose (the twelve chapters of his novel each are a one paragraph), dystopian and somber motifs, and the kind of unwavering power that has led reviewers to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

Satantango was widely transformed into a seven-hour motion picture by cinematic artist the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring artistic collaboration.

"The author is a great author of grand narratives in the Central European literary tradition that extends through Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and bizarre extremes," said the committee chair, head of the Nobel panel.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "evolved into … flowing structure with lengthy, intricate lines devoid of punctuation that has become his trademark."

Critical Acclaim

The critic Susan Sontag has referred to the author as "the contemporary from Hungary expert of apocalypse," while WG Sebald praised the universality of his outlook.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in English. The reviewer Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like rare currency."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by exploration as much as by language. He first left the communist his homeland in 1987, spending a twelve months in West Berlin for a fellowship, and later drew inspiration from Eastern Asia – particularly China and Mongolia – for books such as one of his titles, and another novel.

While developing War and War, he travelled widely across the continent and stayed in Allen Ginsberg’s New York apartment, stating the renowned poet's support as vital to completing the novel.

Writer's Own Words

Inquired how he would explain his writing in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Letters; then from these characters, words; then from these terms, some brief phrases; then more sentences that are more extended, and in the main exceptionally extended sentences, for the period of three and a half decades. Elegance in prose. Fun in despair."

On readers encountering his work for the initial encounter, he continued: "Should there be individuals who haven’t read my works, I couldn’t recommend anything to explore to them; rather, I’d recommend them to go out, rest somewhere, perhaps by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, no thoughts, just remaining in tranquility like boulders. They will in time encounter a person who has previously read my works."

Award Background

Before the announcement, bookmakers had pegged the top contenders for this year’s prize as an avant-garde author, an avant garde from China novelist, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Award in Writing has been given on over a hundred previous occasions since the early 20th century. Recent recipients are Ernaux, Bob Dylan, Gurnah, Glück, the Austrian and Olga Tokarczuk. The most recent winner was Han Kang, the South Korean author best known for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially be presented with the prize medal and document in a function in the month of December in Stockholm.

Additional details forthcoming