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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for 2025 has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Nobel awarding body.

The Jury highlighted the author's "powerful and prophetic oeuvre that, amidst end-times fear, reasserts the force of art."

A Renowned Path of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dark, pensive books, which have won many awards, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his novels, among them his titles Satantango and another major work, have been turned into cinematic works.

Early Beginnings

Born in Gyula, Hungary in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his 1985 first book Satantango, a bleak and captivating depiction of a collapsing village society.

The book would later win the Man Booker International Prize recognition in translation decades after, in 2013.

A Distinctive Literary Style

Often described as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his extended, meandering prose (the dozen sections of Satantango each comprise a solitary block of text), dystopian and pensive themes, and the kind of persistent intensity that has led reviewers to compare him to Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

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

"Krasznahorkai is a great author of grand narratives in the central European literary tradition that includes Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque excess," said the committee chair, head of the Nobel panel.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "evolved into … flowing structure with long, winding phrases without periods that has become his hallmark."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has referred to the author as "the contemporary from Hungary expert of the apocalyptic," while Sebald applauded the broad relevance of his outlook.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in English translation. The literary critic James Wood once remarked that his books "circulate like precious items."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by travel as much as by literature. He first exited socialist his homeland in 1987, staying a period in the city for a fellowship, and later was inspired from east Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for novels such as a specific work, and another novel.

While working on this novel, he journeyed extensively across Europe and resided temporarily in Ginsberg's New York residence, stating the famous Beat poet's support as vital to finalizing the novel.

Writer's Own Words

Questioned how he would explain his oeuvre in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some brief phrases; then further lines that are more extended, and in the primary exceptionally extended phrases, for the span of 35 years. Beauty in language. Enjoyment in darkness."

On readers discovering his work for the initial encounter, he continued: "For any readers who haven’t read my works, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to read to them; instead, I’d advise them to go out, settle at a location, perhaps by the edge of a stream, with no tasks, a clear mind, just being in tranquility like stones. They will eventually meet an individual who has previously read my books."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, bookmakers had listed the top contenders for this year's honor as the Chinese writer, an avant garde from China novelist, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been awarded on 117 prior instances since the early 20th century. Recent winners include the French author, Dylan, Gurnah, the poet, Handke and Tokarczuk. Last year’s recipient was Han Kang, the Korean novelist most famous for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will officially accept the prize medal and document in a function in December in the Swedish capital.

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