 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 |
|
| Location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Presented by | Swedish Academy |
| First award | 1901 |
| Website | 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature |
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.
László Krasznahorkai was one of the favourites to win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature along with Chinese authorCan Xue, CanadianMargaret Atwood, JapaneseHaruki Murakami andSalman Rushdie.[1] Other possible candidates speculated about in the media and appearing on betting lists included AustralianGerald Murnane, HungarianPéter Nádas, AmericanThomas Pynchon, CanadianAnne Carson, SpanishEnrique Vila-Matas, FrenchMichel Houellebecq, RomanianMircea Cărtărescu, IndianAmitav Ghosh, ArgentinianCésar Aira, AustralianAlexis Wright, MexicanCristina Rivera Garza, SwissChristian Kracht, ChileanRaul Zurita, and the Antigua bornJamaica Kincaid.[1][2][3]
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."[4]
"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."[5]
At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 2025, chair of theSwedish Academy's Nobel committeeAnders Olsson said:
Krasznahorkai’s signature as a writer is a flowing syntax that encompasses both weightiness and lightness, melancholy and elation, tall tales and poetic intensity [...] It is László Krasznahorkai’s greatness as a writer to have succeeded in combining an artistic gaze, entirely free of illusion, that sees through the fragility of the orders established by man, with an unwavering faith in the power of literature.[6]
The 2025Nobel Committee consists of the following members:[7]
| 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 |
