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

The Committee commended the author's "compelling and visionary collection that, in the midst of apocalyptic fear, reaffirms the power of art."

A Renowned Path of Dystopian Writing

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dark, melancholic works, which have earned many prizes, including the 2019 National Book Award for translated literature and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his books, notably his fictional works his debut and another major work, have been turned into cinematic works.

Initial Success

Hailing in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 initial work his seminal novel, a bleak and mesmerising depiction of a failing countryside settlement.

The book would later win the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation decades after, in 2013.

A Distinctive Writing Approach

Often described as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his lengthy, intricate prose (the dozen sections of his novel each consist of a one paragraph), apocalyptic and somber themes, and the kind of unwavering intensity that has led reviewers to liken him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

Satantango was widely transformed into a lengthy film by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long artistic collaboration.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable epic writer in the Central European literary tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by the absurd and grotesque excess," commented Anders Olsson, head of the Nobel committee.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "developed towards … flowing language with long, winding sentences without punctuation that has become his signature."

Literary Praise

The critic Susan Sontag has described the author as "the contemporary Hungarian genius of apocalypse," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the broad relevance of his perspective.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s works have been translated into English. The literary critic Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like valuable artifacts."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been shaped by travel as much as by literature. He first exited socialist his homeland in 1987, spending a year in West Berlin for a fellowship, and later found inspiration from Eastern Asia – particularly Mongolia and China – for works such as The Prisoner of Urga, and another novel.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across Europe and resided temporarily in Ginsberg's New York residence, noting the legendary Beat poet's backing as essential to completing the book.

Writer's Own Words

Questioned how he would characterize his oeuvre in an interview, Krasznahorkai answered: "Characters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some short sentences; then more sentences that are longer, and in the main extremely lengthy paragraphs, for the span of three and a half decades. Elegance in writing. Fun in despair."

On readers finding his books for the first time, he added: "If there are people who haven’t read my books, I couldn’t recommend a particular book to read to them; instead, I’d advise them to venture outside, sit down somewhere, possibly by the side of a brook, with no obligations, nothing to think about, just remaining in tranquility like boulders. They will eventually encounter someone who has previously read my books."

Literature Prize History

Before the announcement, betting agencies had pegged the frontrunners for this year’s honor as the Chinese writer, an avant garde Chinese novelist, and Krasznahorkai.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been given on one hundred seventeen prior instances since the early 20th century. Current laureates have included Ernaux, the musician, Gurnah, Louise Glück, the Austrian and the Polish author. Last year’s honoree was the South Korean writer, the South Korean novelist most famous for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially accept the award and diploma in a ceremony in December in Stockholm.

Updates to come