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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2025 has been bestowed upon from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the committee.

The Jury commended the seventy-one-year-old's "powerful and prophetic collection that, amidst end-times dread, confirms the force of creative expression."

A Legacy of Apocalyptic Writing

Krasznahorkai is known for his dystopian, melancholic books, which have won several prizes, for instance the recent National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his books, among them his titles his debut and another major work, have been made into feature films.

Initial Success

Originating in the Hungarian town of Gyula in 1954, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 debut novel his seminal novel, a grim and mesmerising representation of a collapsing rural community.

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

An Unconventional Prose Technique

Frequently labeled as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is famous for his lengthy, intricate prose (the 12 chapters of Satantango each consist of a single paragraph), bleak and pensive motifs, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led literary experts to liken him to Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

Satantango was notably adapted into a extended motion picture by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy creative partnership.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable epic writer in the European heritage that includes Kafka to Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess," said the Nobel chair, chair of the Nobel panel.

He described Krasznahorkai’s style as having "progressed to … flowing language with lengthy, intricate phrases devoid of periods that has become his signature."

Expert Opinions

Susan Sontag has referred to the author as "the contemporary from Hungary genius of apocalypse," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the universality of his vision.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s books have been published in English translation. The literary critic James Wood once noted that his books "circulate like valuable artifacts."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been influenced by travel as much as by language. He first departed from the communist the country in the late 80s, residing a twelve months in West Berlin for a grant, and later was inspired from Asia – notably China and Mongolia – for novels such as The Prisoner of Urga, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While writing War and War, he travelled widely across the continent and stayed in Ginsberg's New York residence, noting the legendary writer's backing as vital to completing the work.

Author's Perspective

Inquired how he would explain his oeuvre in an interview, Krasznahorkai responded: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some concise lines; then additional phrases that are longer, and in the main exceptionally extended phrases, for the span of three and a half decades. Beauty in language. Fun in despair."

On readers encountering his books for the initial encounter, he added: "Should there be people who haven’t read my novels, I couldn’t recommend a particular book to explore to them; on the contrary, I’d advise them to step out, settle in a place, maybe by the edge of a stream, with no tasks, nothing to think about, just remaining in tranquility like rocks. They will eventually come across a person who has already read my books."

Nobel Prize Context

Before the announcement, betting agencies had listed the frontrunners for this year's prize as the Chinese writer, an innovative from China writer, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Award in Writing has been given on one hundred seventeen previous occasions since 1901. Current recipients have included Annie Ernaux, Dylan, Gurnah, Louise Glück, the Austrian and Tokarczuk. The previous year's winner was Han Kang, the Korean novelist best known for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the award and document in a ceremony in December in the Swedish capital.

Updates to come