Hungarian writer Krasznahorkai wins 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature

STOCKHOLM -- Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the second Hungarian author ever to receive the honor, the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday.

Krasznahorkai was recognized "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art," the academy said in a statement.

Born in 1954 in the small town of Gyula in southeastern Hungary near the Romanian border, Krasznahorkai achieved his literary breakthrough with his debut novel "Satantango" (1985). The book became a sensation in Hungary and established him as one of Central Europe's most distinctive literary voices.

The Swedish Academy described him as "a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess."

It added that the author's later works adopted "a more contemplative, finely calibrated tone," reflecting his deep impressions from journeys to China and Japan, which inspired several of his works.

Steve Sem-Sandberg, a member of the Nobel Committee for Literature, said Krasznahorkai has maintained a remarkably consistent and high-quality output throughout his four decades of writing. He noted that few authors manage to sustain such a level of excellence over so long a career.

Sem-Sandberg also highlighted that Krasznahorkai's work continues a European tradition of dense, epic novels featuring vivid characters and apocalyptic settings.