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The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been bestowed upon the Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as declared by the Nobel awarding body.

The Committee highlighted the author's "gripping and imaginative oeuvre that, in the midst of cataclysmic terror, reaffirms the strength of the arts."

A Legacy of Dystopian Narratives

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dark, melancholic books, which have garnered several prizes, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

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

Debut Novel

Born in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his mid-80s initial work Satantango, a bleak and hypnotic portrayal of a failing village society.

The novel would go on to earn the Man Booker International Prize recognition in the English language many years later, in the 2010s.

An Unconventional Writing Approach

Often described as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is known for his extended, meandering phrases (the 12 chapters of his novel each consist of a single paragraph), dystopian and melancholic motifs, and the kind of persistent power that has led literary experts to draw parallels with Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

Satantango was famously transformed into a lengthy film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring artistic collaboration.

"Krasznahorkai is a significant author of grand narratives in the European heritage that traces back to Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque excess," stated Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel committee.

He described Krasznahorkai’s style as having "developed towards … flowing language with long, winding sentences devoid of full stops that has become his hallmark."

Critical Acclaim

Sontag has referred to the author as "the modern Hungarian expert of apocalypse," while the writer W.G. Sebald applauded the wide appeal of his outlook.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s books have been translated into the English language. The reviewer James Wood once wrote that his books "get passed around like valuable artifacts."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been shaped by travel as much as by language. He first left the communist the country in the late 80s, spending a year in Berlin for a scholarship, and later was inspired from Asia – notably Mongolia and China – for books such as The Prisoner of Urga, and another novel.

While working on this novel, he explored across the continent and lived for a time in the legendary poet's New York residence, noting the famous Beat poet's backing as essential to finalizing the book.

Author's Perspective

Questioned how he would explain his writing in an interview, Krasznahorkai responded: "Letters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these words, some concise lines; then further lines that are longer, and in the main very long phrases, for the duration of 35 years. Beauty in writing. Enjoyment in despair."

On readers encountering his work for the first time, he continued: "If there are individuals who haven’t read my books, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to peruse to them; rather, I’d suggest them to go out, rest somewhere, perhaps by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, a clear mind, just staying in quiet like stones. They will eventually come across an individual who has previously read my books."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, betting agencies had listed the top contenders for this year’s honor as Can Xue, an innovative from China novelist, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Honor in Writing has been given on over a hundred prior instances since 1901. Recent laureates have included Annie Ernaux, Bob Dylan, the Tanzanian-born writer, the poet, the Austrian and the Polish author. Last year’s winner was the South Korean writer, the Korean novelist renowned for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially receive the award and diploma in a ceremony in the month of December in Stockholm, Sweden.

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