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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been awarded to from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as revealed by the Swedish Academy.

The Jury highlighted the author's "powerful and prophetic collection that, amidst cataclysmic terror, reasserts the force of art."

A Legacy of Apocalyptic Writing

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his bleak, melancholic books, which have earned several awards, such as the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his books, among them his fictional works Satantango and another major work, have been turned into feature films.

Debut Novel

Originating in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his 1985 debut novel his seminal novel, a grim and mesmerising portrayal of a collapsing village society.

The novel would later win the Man Booker International Prize recognition in the English language decades after, in 2013.

An Unconventional Literary Style

Often described as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is famous for his extended, meandering prose (the 12 chapters of Satantango each comprise a solitary block of text), apocalyptic and somber subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led critics to compare him to Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

Satantango was famously transformed into a lengthy film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long working relationship.

"The author is a remarkable author of grand narratives in the Central European literary tradition that traces back to Franz Kafka to Bernhard, and is characterised by the absurd and grotesque excess," commented the Nobel chair, head of the Nobel committee.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s style as having "progressed to … continuous structure with extended, meandering phrases lacking periods that has become his trademark."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has described the author as "today's Hungarian genius of end-times," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the wide appeal of his vision.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been rendered in English translation. The critic James Wood once remarked that his books "get passed around like precious items."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s career has been shaped by travel as much as by literature. He first left socialist Hungary in 1987, residing a year in the city for a grant, and later was inspired from Eastern Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for works such as one of his titles, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While developing War and War, he journeyed extensively across Europe and lived for a time in the legendary poet's New York residence, describing the legendary Beat poet's backing as essential to completing the book.

Writer's Own Words

Asked how he would characterize his writing in an discussion, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some concise lines; then further lines that are more extended, and in the main exceptionally extended paragraphs, for the span of 35 years. Beauty in prose. Enjoyment in despair."

On readers encountering his writing for the first time, he continued: "Should there be people who are new to my novels, I couldn’t recommend anything to explore to them; rather, I’d advise them to venture outside, settle at a location, maybe by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, nothing to think about, just staying in silence like stones. They will eventually meet someone who has previously read my novels."

Literature Prize History

Ahead of the reveal, betting agencies had listed the frontrunners for this year’s prize as the Chinese writer, an avant garde Chinese author, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been presented on one hundred seventeen prior instances since the early 20th century. Latest winners have included Ernaux, Bob Dylan, the Tanzanian-born writer, Glück, Handke and Tokarczuk. Last year’s winner was Han Kang, the Korean author best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially accept the medal and diploma in a ceremony in December in Stockholm.

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