Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy Mats Malm announced on Thursday.
Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai is receiving this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature “for his visionary and powerful writing which, amid the horror of doom, maintains faith in the possibilities of art.”
The Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, Mats Malm, contacted the author in Frankfurt, and he promised to come to Stockholm for the awards ceremony.
In an interview with P1, László Krasznahorkai says, “This is the first time I’ve received the Nobel Prize in Literature, so I’m a little nervous.”
Author and literary critic Sara Abdollahi tells TT that the Academy has made a great choice.
“I’m not one of those who think the literary prize should surprise; it should primarily reward good literature, which is why I’m very happy with Krasznahorkai. With him, ambitious literature is once again gaining prominence,” she says.
Krasznahorkai criticizes the Hungarian regime
László Krasznahorkai was born in 1954 in Gyula, Hungary, to a middle-class family with Jewish roots, which Krasznahorkai kept secret until he was 11.
He studied literature, Latin, and law at university, and after his studies, he worked as an editor before beginning to dedicate himself full-time to writing fiction.
His first novel, Satantango, from 1985, attracted great attention in his native country. Several of his novels have been adapted for film by Hungarian director Béla Tarr, including his debut feature, which was made into a seven-hour film.
László Krasznahorkai left Hungary in 1987 and has since lived in several countries. He has spent long periods in Mongolia, China, and Japan, among others. Krasznahorkai has also been an outspoken critic of the current regime, and his position in Hungary has been described as questionable.
The question then is: how will his prize be received in Hungary now?
“I have no idea. But I hope all Hungarians will be proud,” Krasznahorkai tells TT, who also wonders what he will do with the 11 million kroner prize.
Are you receiving money? No, just kidding, next question!
Inspired by Bob Dylan
Krasznahorkai’s literary style is often described as dark and dystopian, but also humorous: he is said to be inspired by both Franz Kafka and Bob Dylan.
Sentences often flow without punctuation. In an interview, Krasznahorkai is reported to have said that “the goal is God.” He is also an outspoken critic of Viktor Orbán’s conservative government.
Krasznahorkai received the Man Booker International Prize in 2015. His latest novel, “Herscht 07769,” was published in 2021 and in Swedish in 2023.
However, this did not greatly impress GP critic Mikaela Blomqvist, who wondered, “Is this a deliberate failure by Krasznahorkai?”
