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

The Committee commended the seventy-one-year-old's "compelling and visionary oeuvre that, amidst apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the force of creative expression."

A Renowned Path of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is known for his dystopian, somber works, which have garnered many awards, such as the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his novels, among them his titles Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into movies.

Early Beginnings

Born in a Hungarian locale in 1954, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 debut novel his seminal novel, a dark and mesmerising portrayal of a collapsing village society.

The book would go on to secure the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation decades after, in 2013.

An Unconventional Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his long, winding prose (the twelve chapters of Satantango each are a single paragraph), bleak and melancholic subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led literary experts to liken him to literary giants like Kafka.

The novel was famously transformed into a extended film by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy creative partnership.

"The author is a remarkable epic writer in the Central European literary tradition that traces back to Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is marked by the absurd and grotesque excess," stated the Nobel chair, chair of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "developed towards … flowing language with long, winding lines without periods that has become his hallmark."

Critical Acclaim

Susan Sontag has referred to the author as "the contemporary Hungarian expert of the apocalyptic," while WG Sebald commended the broad relevance of his outlook.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been published in English translation. The reviewer Wood once remarked that his books "get passed around like valuable artifacts."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by travel as much as by his writing. He first departed from the communist Hungary in 1987, spending a year in West Berlin for a grant, and later found inspiration from Asia – notably Asian nations – for works such as one of his titles, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While working on War and War, he explored across Europe and stayed in the legendary poet's New York residence, noting the renowned poet's support as essential to finishing the novel.

Writer's Own Words

Inquired how he would characterize his work in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these words, some short sentences; then additional phrases that are more extended, and in the main very long sentences, for the span of decades. Beauty in prose. Enjoyment in darkness."

On fans finding his writing for the first time, he noted: "If there are individuals who are new to my novels, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to read to them; instead, I’d suggest them to step out, sit down at a location, maybe by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, a clear mind, just being in tranquility like boulders. They will in time meet a person who has encountered my works."

Award Background

Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had pegged the frontrunners for this year’s honor as an avant-garde author, an innovative Chinese writer, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been given on one hundred seventeen past events since 1901. Current winners include Annie Ernaux, Bob Dylan, Gurnah, Louise Glück, Peter Handke and Tokarczuk. The previous year's recipient was the South Korean writer, the South Korean writer best known for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially receive the prize medal and certificate in a ceremony in winter in Stockholm.

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