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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been awarded to from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as revealed by the Nobel awarding body.

The Jury praised the author's "gripping and imaginative body of work that, amidst cataclysmic dread, reaffirms the force of creative expression."

A Legacy of Apocalyptic Fiction

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dystopian, pensive books, which have garnered several accolades, such as the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his works, including his titles Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into cinematic works.

Initial Success

Originating in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 first book Satantango, a bleak and mesmerising depiction of a disintegrating rural community.

The book would later win the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation nearly three decades later, in the 2010s.

An Unconventional Writing Approach

Frequently labeled as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is known for his lengthy, intricate phrases (the 12 chapters of his novel each consist of a single paragraph), dystopian and somber subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led literary experts to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

This work was widely adapted into a lengthy motion picture by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long artistic collaboration.

"Krasznahorkai is a significant epic writer in the central European literary tradition that extends through Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque excess," stated Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel panel.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s style as having "developed towards … smooth language with lengthy, intricate phrases without full stops that has become his trademark."

Literary Praise

Susan Sontag has referred to the author as "the modern from Hungary master of the apocalyptic," while Sebald commended the broad relevance of his vision.

Only a few of Krasznahorkai’s books have been rendered in English. The literary critic James Wood once wrote that his books "circulate like precious items."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been molded by travel as much as by his writing. He first exited communist his homeland in 1987, staying a twelve months in the city for a grant, and later drew inspiration from Asia – especially Mongolia and China – for works such as a specific work, and another novel.

While working on War and War, he journeyed extensively across European nations and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York residence, stating the legendary poet's support as essential to completing the book.

Author's Perspective

Inquired how he would characterize his work in an conversation, Krasznahorkai said: "Letters; then from these characters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some short sentences; then further lines that are lengthier, and in the primary exceptionally extended phrases, for the span of decades. Elegance in language. Fun in darkness."

On audiences finding his books for the first time, he added: "If there are individuals who are new to my works, I would refrain from advising any specific title to read to them; on the contrary, I’d advise them to venture outside, settle at a location, perhaps by the edge of a stream, with no tasks, nothing to think about, just being in quiet like boulders. They will sooner or later encounter a person who has previously read my books."

Nobel Prize Context

Before the announcement, betting agencies had ranked the favourites for this year’s award as the Chinese writer, an experimental from China author, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Award in Literature has been awarded on 117 previous occasions since 1901. Current laureates are Ernaux, Bob Dylan, Gurnah, the poet, the Austrian and the Polish author. Last year’s honoree was Han Kang, the from South Korea author renowned for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally receive the award and certificate in a event in the month of December in Stockholm, Sweden.

Updates to come