🔗 Share this article

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

The Committee highlighted the author's "compelling and visionary body of work that, amidst cataclysmic terror, reaffirms the power of the arts."

A Renowned Path of Apocalyptic Narratives

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dark, melancholic books, which have garnered many accolades, such as the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, notably his novels Satantango and another major work, have been adapted into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Originating in the Hungarian town of Gyula in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his mid-80s debut novel Satantango, a dark and mesmerising representation of a collapsing rural community.

The novel would go on to earn the Man Booker International Prize recognition in English nearly three decades later, in the 2010s.

A Distinctive Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is known for his extended, meandering prose (the dozen sections of the book each comprise a solitary block of text), bleak and pensive motifs, and the kind of persistent force that has led reviewers to liken him to literary giants like Kafka.

This work was notably made into a seven-hour film by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long artistic collaboration.

"The author is a significant writer of epic tales in the central European heritage that extends through Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by the absurd and bizarre extremes," stated the committee chair, chair of the Nobel committee.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … continuous syntax with long, winding lines devoid of periods that has become his hallmark."

Expert Opinions

The critic Susan Sontag has described the author as "today's Hungarian master of end-times," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the wide appeal of his perspective.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in the English language. The reviewer Wood once noted that his books "are shared like precious items."

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been shaped by journeys as much as by language. He first departed from socialist his homeland in the late 80s, residing a twelve months in the city for a grant, and later was inspired from Asia – particularly China and Mongolia – for books such as a specific work, and his book on China.

While writing War and War, he explored across the continent and stayed in Ginsberg's New York residence, noting the renowned writer's support as essential to completing the work.

Writer's Own Words

Asked how he would describe his work in an conversation, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from these characters, words; then from these words, some short sentences; then more sentences that are longer, and in the chief exceptionally extended phrases, for the duration of decades. Beauty in prose. Enjoyment in hell."

On fans finding his writing for the initial encounter, he noted: "For any readers who are new to my books, I would not suggest anything to explore to them; rather, I’d advise them to go out, rest somewhere, possibly by the edge of a stream, with nothing to do, no thoughts, just staying in quiet like stones. They will eventually come across someone who has encountered my books."

Nobel Prize Context

Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had listed the favourites for this year's prize as Can Xue, an experimental Chinese writer, and Krasznahorkai.

The Nobel Honor in Literature has been awarded on one hundred seventeen prior instances since 1901. Latest recipients include Ernaux, Bob Dylan, the Tanzanian-born writer, Glück, Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. The previous year's recipient was Han Kang, the South Korean author renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the prize medal and diploma in a event in December in the Swedish capital.

More to follow