As October arrives each year, anticipation builds globally for the announcement of the Nobel Prize winners, celebrated for their significant contributions to humanity. In 2025, the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai, recognized for his distinctive perspective on apocalyptic themes. At 71 years old, Krasznahorkai becomes only the second Hungarian to receive this esteemed honor, following Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won in 2002 for his profound reflections on historical tragedy.
This statistic highlights a certain irony for a nation with a rich literary legacy, home to remarkable writers like Magda Szabo, known for her novel The Door, which delves into the intricate dynamics of a complex relationship between two women, and Ferenc Molnar, whose The Paul Street Boys offers a gripping depiction of a conflict among schoolboys. Nevertheless, Krasznahorkai”s recognition elevates the profile of one of the most celebrated authors in the Hungarian language, hailed by Susan Sontag as the “contemporary master of the Apocalypse.” This award also continues a trend, marking the fourth consecutive year that the Nobel has been given to a writer primarily working in a non-English language, enhancing the prize”s linguistic diversity, although its geographic diversity raises questions.
Krasznahorkai”s literary works have drawn comparisons to notable figures such as Franz Kafka and W.G. Sebald. However, he has expressed a desire to carve out his own path, stating his intention “to be free to stray far from literary ancestors and not make some new version of Kafka, Dostoyevsky, or Faulkner.” His unique voice is evident in works like The Melancholy of Resistance, which portrays a town”s unsettling and surreal descent into madness after a traveling circus arrives with the carcass of a whale, encapsulating the disintegration of social structures.
Krasznahorkai”s signature writing style is characterized by intricate, winding sentences, exemplified in his novel Herscht 07769, which consists of a single sentence stretched over hundreds of pages, punctuated by commas and a sense of delirium. The judges of the 2015 Man Booker International Prize eloquently recognized Krasznahorkai for his “extraordinary sentences, sentences of incredible length that go to incredible lengths, their tone switching from solemn to madcap to quizzical to desolate as they go their wayward way.” Consistent themes of idiosyncrasy and a bleak, yet humor-infused atmosphere pervade his body of work, making his books a compelling choice for readers seeking a deep dive into existential despair.
His exploration of human greed and the critique of society resonate with other Hungarian literary icons, each of his apocalypses revealing profound insights into human nature, often delivered in a darkly humorous way. “Because you don”t talk,” a character laments in The Melancholy of Resistance, “you “whisper” or “expostulate”; you don”t walk down the street but “proceed feverishly”; you don”t enter a place but “cross its threshold,” you don”t feel cold or hot, but “find yourselves shivering” or “feeling the sweat pour down you!””
Krasznahorkai”s influence extends into cinema, particularly through his collaborations with acclaimed Hungarian director Bela Tarr. Their partnership creates a harmonious blend, with Tarr”s slow, deliberate pacing and melancholic tone complementing Krasznahorkai”s intense writing style. The seven-hour film Sátántangó, adapted from Krasznahorkai”s debut novel of the same name, offers a haunting vision of despair through the trials of a small village. His work as a screenwriter for The Turin Horse also showcases his signature themes of degradation within the minutiae of existence.
Some critics may question the message conveyed by the Nobel committee in honoring such a relentlessly cynical oeuvre. In my view, Krasznahorkai”s strength lies in his unique interpretation of dystopia—not one born from fantastical elements typical of science fiction or from catastrophic events, but rather from the myriad smaller apocalypses that unfold from the fragile connections between individuals. His prose resonates with a timeless relevance, almost eerily foretelling the vulnerabilities of social order. Through his work, Krasznahorkai immerses readers in a tumultuous whirlpool of despair, ultimately leading them to a cathartic experience born from deep engagement.
