The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to László Krasznahorkai.
He was recognised “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
He has written many publically and critically acclaimed novels over the years, including Sátántangó (1985) and The Melancholy of Resistance (1989).
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to László Krasznahorkai “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.” The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Thursday, 9 October 2025.
According to Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel Committee, “László Krasznahorkai is a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess.”
Krasznahorkai is Hungarian novelist known for his postmodern writing style and dystopian and melancholic themes. Olsson described his style as having “flowing syntax with long, winding sentences devoid of full stops that has become his signature.”
He was born in a small Hungarian town, Gyula, in 1954. Now 71, the author has been actively writing since 1985 when he published his debut novel, Sátántangó. The novel, a bleak portrayal of an isolated rural community on the verge of collapse, was met with immense acclaim. A member of the committee described it as an “unsurpassed” debut.
He has published many works over the years that have been received similar acclaim, like The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), War & War (1999), Seiobo There Below (2008), and Herscht 07769 (2021).
Many of his works have been inspired by his travels since he escaped Communist Hungary in the 1980s, especially his travels across Japan and Asia.
He has also written many screenplays, including for The Turin Horse, a 2011 film by Béla Tarr, and has collaborated with artist Max Neumann on the graphic novel Chasing Homer (2019).
His 21st and latest novel, Zsömle Odavan (2024), or Zsömle is Gone, tells the story of 91-year-old Uncle Józsi Kada, who is trying to disappear from the world.
The committee said that Krasznahorkai has taken the European modernist epic writing tradition to new heights, adding that his ‘apocalyptic’ works are even more in tune with the times now than it was when he first started writing in 1985.
“But there are more strings to his bow, and he also looks to the East in adopting a more contemplative, finely calibrated tone,” reads the Nobel Committee’s press release.
He has been the recipient of immense praise both publicly and critically. He has previously won National Book award for translated literature in 2019 and the Man Booker International prize in 2015. Many of his works – Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies, and The Melancholy of Resistance – have been turned into feature films by Hungarian director and Krasznahorkai’s long-time collaborator Béla Tarr.
Krasznahorkai will be awarded the Nobel gold medal and a million-dollar prize later this year. Now a Nobel Literature Laureate, he joins the ranks of Albert Camus, Toni Morrison, John Steinbeck, and VS Naipaul, amongst others.
Krasznahorkai was made aware of the news over telephone by the Nobel Committee.
This announcement is the fourth of ‘Nobel Week’, following prizes in Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine, which were announced on 8th, 7th, and 6th October 2025, respectively. Winners for Peace and Economic Sciences are to be declared over the coming days. The formal Nobel ceremony is scheduled to take place in Stockholm on 10 December 2025, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. [Rh/DS]
