Hungarian Author Laszlo Krasznahorkai Wins Nobel Prize For Literature 2025

Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”

Regarded as one of Central Europe’s great epic writers, Krasznahorkai’s work follows the literary lineage of Kafka and Thomas Bernhard, marked by absurdism, intensity, and grotesque beauty.

Born in 1954 in the small southeastern Hungarian town of Gyula, near the Romanian border, Krasznahorkai first captured attention with his debut novel Satantango (1985) — a haunting portrayal of despair in a remote village that became a literary sensation in Hungary and established him as a major voice in world literature.

His later work, Herscht 07769, has been hailed as a profound contemporary novel for its precise and unsettling depiction of Germany’s social unrest.

The Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded by the Swedish Academy, carries a purse of 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million).

Last year’s prize went to South Korean author Han Kang, honored for works that confront historical trauma and explore the fragility of human existence. The literature award is the fourth Nobel announced this week, following those in medicine, physics, and chemistry.

The Nobel Prize in Literature is presented by the Swedish Academy and carries a cash award of 11 million Swedish crowns (approximately $1.2 million).

Last year’s honour went to South Korean author Han Kang, celebrated for a body of work that, according to the committee, “confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”

This year’s literature award is the fourth Nobel Prize announced in 2025, following those in medicine, physics, and chemistry earlier in the week.