László Krasznahorkai is the 2025 Nobel Literature laureate. The Swedish Academy hailed his “compelling and visionary oeuvre” and his ‘apocalyptic’ style.
The Swedish Academy has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature to the Hungarian author and screenwriter László Krasznahorkai. He is the second Hungarian writer to receive the honour, following Imre Kertész in 2002.
The Academy recognized Krasznahorkai, aged 71, “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
A Master of Apocalyptic Prose
Krasznahorkai is globally renowned for his distinct, dense, and often challenging prose, characterized by famously long, winding sentences and philosophical depth. Critics have referred to him as a “master of the apocalypse” for his meditative, dark, and politically charged portrayals of societal and cosmic fragmentation.
His most acclaimed works include:
- The Melancholy of Resistance (1989): This novel, which depicts the slow decay and strange events in a small, isolated Hungarian town, established his international reputation. It was later adapted into the highly-regarded film Werckmeister Harmonies by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has frequently collaborated.
- Satantango (1985): His debut novel, also adapted for cinema by Béla Tarr, is a meditative work set in a remote, decaying collective farm.
- Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming (2016): A novel that was awarded the National Book Award for Translated Literature in the U.S. in 2019.
The new laureate has long been considered a major contender for the prize, having already won other prestigious international accolades, including the Man Booker International Prize in 2015 for his body of work.
The Prize and Ceremony
The Nobel Prize comes with an 18-carat gold medal, a diploma, and a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.2 million USD).
Krasznahorkai, who reportedly lives in self-imposed exile from his native country and has been critical of Hungary’s political climate, will formally receive the award at the traditional ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, 2025, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.
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