Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Nobel in literature

Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature this year for his outstanding contribution to literature. The Swedish Academy announced his name on Thursday, October 9.

The Swedish Academy said, “For his compelling and visionary writings he has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature this year.” The organisation stated that his work reaffirms the power of art in the face of global catastrophe. 

The Nobel Committee said Laszlo Krasznahorkai received the prize for his compelling and visionary creative work, which reaffirms the power of art even in the face of apocalyptic horrors.

László Krasznahorkai was born in 1954 in Gyula, a town in south-eastern Hungary. His first novel, Satantango, was also set in a remote village, portraying the lives of impoverished residents. Upon its release, it created a strong stir in Hungary’s literary sphere. In collaboration with director Bela Tarr, the novel was adapted into a highly original film in 1994.

American critic Susan Sontag hailed Krasznahorkai as the “master of apocalypse” in contemporary literature after reading his second novel, Az ellenállás melankóliája (The Melancholy of Resistance). This novel further heightened the drama through a chilling fictional tale set in a small Hungarian town in the Carpathian basin. In Háború és háború (War & War), Krasznahorkai shifted his focus beyond the borders of Hungary.

Last year, in 2024, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to renowned South Korean writer Han Kang.

For the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy has kept the names of nominees secret for 50 years, making it impossible to predict the winner in advance.

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 117 times, with a total of 121 laureates. Among them, 18 are women. On four occasions, the prize has been jointly awarded to more than one recipient.