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

The Jury praised the 71-year-old's "powerful and prophetic body of work that, within apocalyptic fear, reasserts the strength of creative expression."

An Esteemed Career of Apocalyptic Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his bleak, pensive novels, which have earned several prizes, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his books, notably his titles his debut and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into feature films.

Debut Novel

Born in Gyula, Hungary in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 first book his seminal novel, a grim and mesmerising portrayal of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The work would eventually win the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation decades after, in 2013.

An Unconventional Prose Technique

Often described as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is famous for his long, winding sentences (the twelve chapters of his novel each comprise a one paragraph), dystopian and somber subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led reviewers to draw parallels with Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

This work was famously transformed into a lengthy motion picture by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy working relationship.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable author of grand narratives in the central European tradition that traces back to Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdist elements and grotesque exaggeration," said Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel panel.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "evolved into … smooth syntax with long, winding phrases without punctuation that has become his signature."

Expert Opinions

The critic Susan Sontag has described the author as "today's Hungarian expert of end-times," while Sebald commended the wide appeal of his vision.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s books have been translated into English translation. The literary critic Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like precious items."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s career has been shaped by exploration as much as by his writing. He first left the communist his homeland in 1987, residing a year in Berlin for a fellowship, and later was inspired from Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for works such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across the continent and lived for a time in Ginsberg's New York residence, stating the famous Beat poet's assistance as essential to completing the book.

Writer's Own Words

Inquired how he would explain his writing in an discussion, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these words, some concise lines; then further lines that are longer, and in the chief extremely lengthy paragraphs, for the duration of 35 years. Elegance in writing. Fun in darkness."

On fans discovering his books for the first time, he noted: "If there are people who haven’t read my works, I would refrain from advising a particular book to read to them; instead, I’d advise them to venture outside, sit down in a place, maybe by the banks of a creek, with no obligations, nothing to think about, just remaining in quiet like rocks. They will eventually encounter someone who has encountered my works."

Nobel Prize Context

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

The Nobel Award in Literature has been awarded on one hundred seventeen past events since 1901. Current recipients have included the French author, the musician, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Louise Glück, the Austrian and Tokarczuk. Last year’s winner was Han Kang, the Korean author most famous for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the award and certificate in a function in the month of December in Stockholm.

Updates to come