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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been bestowed upon from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as revealed by the Nobel awarding body.

The Jury commended the 71-year-old's "powerful and prophetic body of work that, in the midst of end-times terror, reasserts the force of art."

A Renowned Path of Bleak Narratives

Krasznahorkai is known for his dark, pensive books, which have garnered several accolades, for instance the 2019 National Book Award for literature in translation and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Several of his novels, including his fictional works Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been turned into feature films.

Early Beginnings

Born in the Hungarian town of Gyula in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 debut novel Satantango, a dark and hypnotic representation of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The work would eventually secure the Man Booker International Prize honor in translation nearly three decades later, in 2013.

A Distinctive Prose Technique

Often described as postmodernist, Krasznahorkai is famous for his extended, meandering phrases (the twelve chapters of the book each consist of a single paragraph), bleak and melancholic themes, and the kind of relentless force that has led literary experts to draw parallels with Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

This work was famously transformed into a lengthy film by director Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy artistic collaboration.

"He is a great writer of epic tales in the European tradition that extends through Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is characterised by absurdist elements and bizarre extremes," stated the Nobel chair, leader of the Nobel panel.

He described Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "developed towards … flowing syntax with long, winding phrases devoid of full stops that has become his trademark."

Expert Opinions

Sontag has described the author as "today's Hungarian expert of the apocalyptic," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the universality of his outlook.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in English translation. The literary critic James Wood once noted that his books "are shared like valuable artifacts."

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s career has been shaped by journeys as much as by language. He first left socialist his homeland in 1987, residing a twelve months in the city for a fellowship, and later was inspired from Asia – especially China and Mongolia – for works such as The Prisoner of Urga, and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens.

While working on this novel, he explored across the continent and resided temporarily in the legendary poet's New York residence, describing the legendary poet's backing as essential to finishing the work.

Author's Perspective

Inquired how he would characterize his work in an discussion, Krasznahorkai answered: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some brief phrases; then further lines that are more extended, and in the primary very long sentences, for the duration of three and a half decades. Elegance in writing. Enjoyment in despair."

On readers encountering his work for the first time, he added: "For any people who haven’t read my books, I would not suggest anything to explore to them; on the contrary, I’d advise them to go out, settle in a place, maybe by the side of a brook, with nothing to do, nothing to think about, just being in quiet like boulders. They will sooner or later come across an individual who has encountered my novels."

Literature Prize History

Before the announcement, oddsmakers had listed the top contenders for this annual award as an avant-garde author, an innovative Chinese writer, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been given on one hundred seventeen previous occasions since 1901. Current recipients have included the French author, Bob Dylan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the poet, the Austrian and the Polish author. Last year’s recipient was Han Kang, the Korean writer best known for her acclaimed novel.

Krasznahorkai will formally be presented with the award and document in a function in December in Stockholm, Sweden.

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