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

The Academy highlighted the 71-year-old's "powerful and prophetic collection that, amidst end-times fear, reaffirms the strength of creative expression."

A Legacy of Bleak Fiction

Krasznahorkai is renowned for his dystopian, melancholic works, which have garnered numerous prizes, including the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, including his titles Satantango and another major work, have been adapted into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Born in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 first book his seminal novel, a bleak and captivating representation of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The work would eventually secure the Man Booker International Prize honor in English decades after, in 2013.

A Distinctive Literary Style

Commonly referred to as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his lengthy, intricate prose (the dozen sections of Satantango each are a solitary block of text), dystopian and pensive themes, and the kind of persistent power that has led reviewers to liken him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

The novel was widely adapted into a seven-hour film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring working relationship.

"The author is a significant author of grand narratives in the European tradition that traces back to Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is marked by absurdist elements and grotesque excess," stated Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel jury.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "evolved into … continuous language with lengthy, intricate lines lacking periods that has become his trademark."

Critical Acclaim

The critic Susan Sontag has called the author as "today's Hungarian genius of apocalypse," while WG Sebald praised the universality of his vision.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been rendered in the English language. The critic Wood once remarked that his books "circulate like precious items."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been influenced by exploration as much as by language. He first exited communist Hungary in 1987, staying a period in Berlin for a grant, and later was inspired from east Asia – particularly Mongolia and China – for works such as one of his titles, and another novel.

While writing this novel, he journeyed extensively across European nations and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York residence, describing the legendary poet's backing as vital to completing the novel.

Author's Perspective

Questioned how he would explain his work in an conversation, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from letters, words; then from these terms, some concise lines; then additional phrases that are lengthier, and in the chief very long paragraphs, for the span of decades. Beauty in writing. Enjoyment in hell."

On audiences encountering his books for the first time, he continued: "For any people who are new to my books, I would not suggest a particular book to peruse to them; rather, I’d suggest them to go out, settle at a location, possibly by the edge of a stream, with nothing to do, nothing to think about, just being in silence like rocks. They will in time encounter a person who has encountered my books."

Award Background

Ahead of the reveal, bookmakers had listed the frontrunners for this year's award as an avant-garde author, an experimental Chinese novelist, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Honor in Literary Arts has been given on 117 prior instances since 1901. Latest laureates have included Annie Ernaux, the musician, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, Peter Handke and Tokarczuk. The most recent recipient was Han Kang, the South Korean writer renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the award and diploma in a event in winter in Stockholm.

Additional details forthcoming