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The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for the year 2025 has been awarded to the Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the committee.

The Academy commended the 71-year-old's "compelling and visionary body of work that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, confirms the power of the arts."

A Renowned Path of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dystopian, somber novels, which have won several awards, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his novels, notably his fictional works his debut and another major work, have been made into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Hailing in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his mid-80s initial work his seminal novel, a dark and mesmerising depiction of a failing countryside settlement.

The work would eventually win the Man Booker International Prize award in translation many years later, in the 2010s.

A Distinctive Prose Technique

Commonly referred to as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is known for his lengthy, intricate phrases (the dozen sections of the book each are a solitary block of text), apocalyptic and somber themes, and the kind of relentless power that has led critics to compare him to Gogol, Melville and Kafka.

The novel was notably transformed into a extended film by cinematic artist Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring creative partnership.

"The author is a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that traces back to Franz Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque exaggeration," said the Nobel chair, head of the Nobel jury.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … flowing syntax with long, winding phrases lacking full stops that has become his trademark."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has called the author as "today's Hungarian master of end-times," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the broad relevance of his vision.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s works have been translated into the English language. The critic James Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like rare currency."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been molded by journeys as much as by language. He first left socialist the country in 1987, residing a year in Berlin for a fellowship, and later drew inspiration from Asia – particularly Mongolia and China – for books such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across the continent and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York residence, stating the legendary Beat poet's assistance as essential to finishing the novel.

Author's Perspective

Inquired how he would describe his work in an conversation, Krasznahorkai responded: "Characters; then from these characters, words; then from these words, some short sentences; then further lines that are more extended, and in the primary extremely lengthy sentences, for the period of decades. Elegance in prose. Enjoyment in hell."

On audiences discovering his books for the first time, he noted: "For any individuals who have not yet read my works, I couldn’t recommend a particular book to explore to them; rather, I’d advise them to step out, rest at a location, maybe by the banks of a creek, with no tasks, nothing to think about, just being in tranquility like boulders. They will sooner or later meet a person who has encountered my novels."

Award Background

Prior to the declaration, bookmakers had listed the top contenders for this year's honor as an avant-garde author, an experimental from China writer, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Award in Literature has been awarded on 117 previous occasions since 1901. Current recipients have included Annie Ernaux, Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, Peter Handke and Tokarczuk. The previous year's winner was the South Korean writer, the from South Korea novelist renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally accept the medal and certificate in a ceremony in the month of December in Stockholm, Sweden.

Additional details forthcoming