 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| László Krasznahorkai | ||||
.jpg) "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art." | ||||
| Date |
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| Location | Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Presented by | Swedish Academy | |||
| First award | 1901 | |||
| Website | 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | |||
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The2025Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Hungarian novelistLászló Krasznahorkai (born 1954) "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art." He is the second Hungarian Nobel laureate in Literature afterImre Kertész in2002.
A Hungarian novelist and screenwriter known for his dense, philosophical prose and apocalyptic vision of modern life, Krasznahorkai gained international recognition with his debut novelSatantango (1985), a haunting portrayal of decay and despair in a collapsing village, later adapted into a film byBéla Tarr. His writing often explores chaos, isolation, and the search for meaning in an unstable world.
Among his acclaimed works areThe Melancholy of Resistance (1989),War and War (1999), andSeiobo There Below (2008), which won the Best Translated Book Award. His collaborations with Béla Tarr, especiallyWerckmeister Harmonies, brought his dark, meditative storytelling to global audiences. Krasznahorkai’s style—marked by long, winding sentences and profound reflection—has earned him the reputation as one of Europe’s most challenging and visionary contemporary writers.
Writing forThe Atlantic, Walt Hunter said: "László Krasznahorkai is unusually experimental for a Nobel Prize winner, but in an unstable world, his selection feels perfectly timely."[1]
"Krasznahorkai richly deserves the prize", novelistHari Kunzru said. “He has a reputation as an austere figure of European high culture, and indeed some of his work is uncompromisingly bleak and difficult, but he’s also a curious, playful and very funny writer."[2]
The 2025Nobel Committee consists of the following members:[3]
| Committee Members | |||||
| Seat No. | Picture | Name | Elected | Position | Profession |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | .jpg) | Anders Olsson (b. 1949) | 2008 | committee chair | literary critic, literary historian |
| 11 | .jpg) | Mats Malm (b. 1964) | 2018 | associate member permanent secretary | translator, literary historian, editor |
| 9 | .jpg) | Ellen Mattson (b. 1963) | 2019 | member | novelist, essayist |
| 14 | .jpg) | Steve Sem-Sandberg (b. 1958) | 2021 | member | journalist, author, translator |
| 13 | .jpg) | Anne Swärd (b. 1969) | 2019 | member | novelist |
| 16 | .jpg) | Anna-Karin Palm (b. 1961) | 2023 | associate member | novelist, culture writer |
