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

The Academy highlighted the author's "gripping and imaginative body of work that, within apocalyptic dread, confirms the strength of art."

An Esteemed Career of Apocalyptic Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dystopian, melancholic novels, which have earned several awards, such as the recent National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his books, notably his fictional works his debut and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been adapted into cinematic works.

Debut Novel

Hailing in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his mid-80s debut novel Satantango, a dark and mesmerising portrayal of a failing rural community.

The work would later secure the Man Booker International Prize award in translation many years later, in 2013.

A Unique Literary Style

Commonly referred to as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is famous for his long, winding sentences (the 12 chapters of the book each comprise a single paragraph), bleak and pensive motifs, and the kind of unwavering intensity that has led literary experts to draw parallels with literary giants like Kafka.

This work was notably made into a extended film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring creative partnership.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable writer of epic tales in the central European literary tradition that includes Franz Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque exaggeration," commented the Nobel chair, chair of the Nobel committee.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … flowing syntax with extended, meandering sentences lacking punctuation that has become his hallmark."

Critical Acclaim

Sontag has referred to the author as "today's from Hungary expert of the apocalyptic," while Sebald applauded the wide appeal of his perspective.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in the English language. The literary critic James Wood once remarked that his books "circulate like rare currency."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s career has been influenced by travel as much as by his writing. He first departed from communist his homeland in 1987, staying a period in Berlin for a grant, and later was inspired from Asia – particularly Mongolia and China – for novels such as one of his titles, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across European nations and lived for a time in the legendary poet's New York apartment, noting the renowned poet's backing as essential to completing the work.

Author's Perspective

Asked how he would characterize his writing in an interview, Krasznahorkai responded: "Letters; then from these characters, words; then from these terms, some short sentences; then more sentences that are lengthier, and in the chief extremely lengthy phrases, for the period of decades. Elegance in writing. Fun in despair."

On readers finding his books for the initial encounter, he added: "For any people who are new to my works, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to explore to them; on the contrary, I’d advise them to venture outside, settle at a location, perhaps by the banks of a creek, with no tasks, a clear mind, just staying in quiet like boulders. They will sooner or later encounter someone who has already read my novels."

Nobel Prize Context

Ahead of the reveal, oddsmakers had ranked the frontrunners for this annual prize as Can Xue, an experimental Chinese author, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Honor in Literary Arts has been awarded on over a hundred previous occasions since 1901. Recent recipients have included Annie Ernaux, the musician, the Tanzanian-born writer, the poet, Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. The most recent winner was Han Kang, the South Korean writer renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially accept the prize medal and diploma in a event in winter in the Swedish capital.

Additional details forthcoming