Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai was announced as the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature by the Swedish Academy. The prestigious award, valued at 11 million crowns ($1.6 million Cdn), was lauded by Mats Malm, the permanent secretary at the Swedish Academy, who commended Krasznahorkai for his profound literary works that emphasize the enduring impact of art amid tumultuous times.
Krasznahorkai, aged 71, received this accolade ten years after being honored with the esteemed Man Booker International Prize. Renowned for his notable novel “The Melancholy of Resistance,” published in 1989 and later awarded the German Bestenliste Prize, Krasznahorkai was dubbed by American critic Susan Sontag as the “master of the apocalypse” in contemporary literature.
In a recent interview on the Nobel website, Krasznahorkai expressed his surprise and pride at being recognized alongside other remarkable writers and poets. Currently in Germany, he plans to celebrate the occasion with friends in Frankfurt over a dinner featuring port wine and champagne.
Despite previous criticisms of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Krasznahorkai received a congratulatory message from Orban on social media. Born in Gyula, Hungary, Krasznahorkai’s literary settings span across central Europe, from Hungary and Germany to the Far East, influenced by his travels to China and Japan.
His breakthrough novel “Satantango,” published in 1985, gained widespread acclaim in Hungary for its depiction of rural life amidst the complexities of communism. Referencing the early 20th-century writer Franz Kafka as a significant influence, Krasznahorkai emphasized his deep connection to Kafka’s works in shaping his own literary style.
Having collaborated closely with Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr, several of Krasznahorkai’s literary works have been adapted into films by Tarr, including the lengthy cinematic rendition of “Satantango.” Notable laureates in literature include renowned figures such as George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with Krasznahorkai marking the second Hungarian to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature after Imre Kertesz in 2002.
The Nobel Prizes will be presented to the laureates in a ceremony on December 10, commemorating the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient will be announced on Friday, followed by the Nobel Prize in Economics on Monday.