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The prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as revealed by the Swedish Academy.

The Academy praised the author's "powerful and prophetic body of work that, in the midst of cataclysmic fear, reaffirms the power of creative expression."

An Esteemed Career of Dystopian Narratives

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dystopian, pensive novels, which have won several accolades, for instance the recent National Book Award for translated literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, among them his titles Satantango and another major work, have been made into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Originating in Gyula, Hungary in 1954, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his mid-80s first book Satantango, a bleak and mesmerising portrayal of a failing rural community.

The work would later secure the Man Booker International Prize award in the English language many years later, in the 2010s.

A Unique Literary Style

Commonly referred to as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his long, winding prose (the dozen sections of the book each are a one paragraph), apocalyptic and pensive subjects, and the kind of relentless intensity that has led literary experts to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

The novel was widely transformed into a lengthy movie by cinematic artist the director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a enduring artistic collaboration.

"Krasznahorkai is a remarkable writer of epic tales in the central European literary tradition that traces back to Kafka to Bernhard, and is marked by the absurd and bizarre extremes," commented the committee chair, head of the Nobel committee.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "evolved into … smooth language with long, winding sentences without punctuation that has become his hallmark."

Literary Praise

The critic Susan Sontag has called the author as "the modern from Hungary expert of apocalypse," while WG Sebald commended the universality of his vision.

A handful of Krasznahorkai’s books have been published in English. The reviewer James Wood once remarked that his books "are shared like valuable artifacts."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s career has been molded by journeys as much as by his writing. He first exited communist Hungary in 1987, spending a period in West Berlin for a grant, and later drew inspiration from Eastern Asia – particularly Asian nations – for works such as one of his titles, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While developing this novel, he explored across the continent and lived for a time in Ginsberg's New York apartment, stating the renowned Beat poet's support as vital to completing the work.

Writer's Own Words

Inquired how he would characterize his writing in an discussion, Krasznahorkai responded: "Characters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these terms, some short sentences; then further lines that are lengthier, and in the main very long phrases, for the period of three and a half decades. Elegance in writing. Enjoyment in despair."

On readers discovering his work for the initial encounter, he added: "If there are individuals who are new to my novels, I would refrain from advising any specific title to explore to them; rather, I’d recommend them to step out, settle somewhere, maybe by the side of a brook, with no tasks, no thoughts, just being in tranquility like boulders. They will sooner or later encounter someone who has previously read my works."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, betting agencies had listed the top contenders for this annual honor as an avant-garde author, an avant garde Chinese writer, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Prize in Literary Arts has been given on one hundred seventeen previous occasions since 1901. Recent winners have included the French author, Bob Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, the Austrian and Olga Tokarczuk. The previous year's honoree was the South Korean writer, the Korean novelist renowned for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally receive the prize medal and diploma in a ceremony in winter in Stockholm, Sweden.

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