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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been bestowed upon Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as declared by the Swedish Academy.

The Committee commended the 71-year-old's "gripping and imaginative collection that, amidst end-times terror, confirms the strength of the arts."

A Legacy of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dystopian, somber novels, which have won several accolades, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his works, notably his fictional works Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into feature films.

Debut Novel

Hailing in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his 1985 first book Satantango, a bleak and mesmerising depiction of a disintegrating rural community.

The novel would go on to secure the Man Booker International Prize award in English nearly three decades later, in the 2010s.

A Unique Writing Approach

Often described as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is famous for his long, winding sentences (the dozen sections of the book each consist of a one paragraph), dystopian and somber themes, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led literary experts to compare him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

This work was notably made into a seven-hour movie by cinematic artist the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long creative partnership.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable writer of epic tales in the European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is defined by the absurd and grotesque exaggeration," said the committee chair, head of the Nobel panel.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s style as having "evolved into … continuous structure with extended, meandering sentences lacking full stops that has become his hallmark."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has described the author as "the contemporary Hungarian genius of the apocalyptic," while the writer W.G. Sebald praised the wide appeal of his outlook.

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

Global Influences

Krasznahorkai’s career has been shaped by exploration as much as by language. He first exited communist his homeland in 1987, staying a period in West Berlin for a fellowship, and later was inspired from Eastern Asia – particularly China and Mongolia – for novels such as a specific work, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While developing War and War, he journeyed extensively across Europe and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York home, noting the renowned poet's assistance as vital to finalizing the work.

Author's Perspective

Questioned how he would describe his writing in an conversation, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from these characters, words; then from these terms, some short sentences; then more sentences that are lengthier, and in the chief exceptionally extended sentences, for the span of three and a half decades. Beauty in writing. Enjoyment in darkness."

On readers discovering his books for the initial encounter, he continued: "Should there be readers who have not yet read my novels, I couldn’t recommend any specific title to explore to them; instead, I’d advise them to go out, sit down in a place, maybe by the edge of a stream, with no obligations, nothing to think about, just remaining in quiet like rocks. They will eventually meet someone who has already read my works."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, bookmakers had pegged the favourites for this year’s award as an avant-garde author, an avant garde Chinese author, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Honor in Writing has been given on 117 prior instances since 1901. Recent winners have included the French author, the musician, the Tanzanian-born writer, Louise Glück, Peter Handke and the Polish author. The previous year's honoree was Han Kang, the from South Korea novelist renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will ceremonially receive the prize medal and document in a event in the month of December in Stockholm.

More to follow