The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Hungarian novelist László 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 after Imre Kertész in 2002.
Laureate
A Hungarian novelist and screenwriter known for his dense, philosophical prose and apocalyptic vision of modern life, Krasznahorkai gained international recognition with his debut novel Satantango (1985), a haunting portrayal of decay and despair in a collapsing village, later adapted into a film by Béla Tarr. His writing often explores chaos, isolation, and the search for meaning in an unstable world.
Among his works are The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), War and War (1999), and Seiobo There Below (2008), which won the Best Translated Book Award. His collaborations with Béla Tarr, particularly Werckmeister Harmonies, introduce his work to global audiences. Krasznahorkai’s style is characterized by long, winding sentences and profound reflection—has been noted by critics for its distinctive approach.
Pre-announcement speculations László Krasznahorkai was one of the favourites to win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature along with Chinese author Can Xue, Canadian Margaret Atwood, Japanese Haruki Murakami and Salman Rushdie. Other possible candidates speculated about in the media and appearing on betting lists included Australian Gerald Murnane, Hungarian Péter Nádas, American Thomas Pynchon, Canadian Anne Carson, Spanish Enrique Vila-Matas, French Michel Houellebecq, Romanian Mircea Cărtărescu, Indian Amitav Ghosh, Argentinian César Aira, Australian Alexis Wright, Mexican Cristina Rivera Garza, Swiss Christian Kracht, Chilean Raul Zurita, and the Antigua born Jamaica Kincaid.
Reactions Writing for The Atlantic, Walt Hunter said: "László Krasznahorkai is unusually experimental for a Nobel Prize winner, but in an unstable world, his selection feels perfectly timely."
"Krasznahorkai richly deserves the prize", novelist Hari 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."
Award ceremony speech At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December 2025, chair of the Swedish Academy's Nobel committee Anders Olsson said:
Nobel Committee The 2025 Nobel Committee consists of the following members:The Nobel Committee 2025 – Nobel Prize in Literature svenskaakademien.se Committee MembersSeat No.PictureNameElectedPositionProfession 4 Anders Olsson (b. 1949) 2008 committee chair literary critic, literary historian 11 Mats Malm (b. 1964) 2018 associate memberpermanent secretary translator, literary historian, editor 9 Ellen Mattson (b. 1963) 2019 member novelist, essayist 14 Steve Sem-Sandberg (b. 1958) 2021 member journalist, author, translator 13 Anne Swärd (b. 1969) 2019 member novelist 16 Anna-Karin Palm (b. 1961) 2023 associate member novelist, culture writer
References
External links Prize announcement nobelprize.org Award ceremony video nobelprize.org Award ceremony speech nobelprize.org Nobel Prize lecture nobelprize.org Nobel diploma nobelprize.org Banquet speech nobelprize.org Excerpts from László Krasznahorkai's prose nobelprize.org