Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, with the Swedish Academy praising “his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
Krasznahorkai, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fiction, is best known for his dense, hypnotic prose and his unflinching exploration of despair and transcendence. The 70-year-old author has written nine novels, numerous short stories, essays, and screenplays, earning international acclaim for his literary experimentation and philosophical depth.
His debut novel, Satantango (1985), which he later co-adapted into a seven-hour film, established him as a singular force in European literature. Critics describe his work as oscillating between bleak fatalism and linguistic ecstasy, often unfolding in vast, unbroken sentences that immerse readers in a torrent of thought and imagery.
Krasznahorkai’s style—once called a “syntactical storm system”—evokes an atmosphere of cosmic anxiety and moral decay, yet his narratives consistently affirm the endurance of art and the human spirit amid chaos. Through his writing, he channels what one critic called “the mad scream of a godless universe,” transforming existential dread into literary brilliance.
Related: Swedish Teen Climate Activist Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize
With this honor, Krasznahorkai joins the ranks of global literary icons whose work reshapes the boundaries of storytelling and redefines the possibilities of the written word.