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The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been bestowed upon Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Nobel awarding body.

The Academy highlighted the 71-year-old's "powerful and prophetic oeuvre that, within end-times terror, reaffirms the strength of the arts."

A Legacy of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is celebrated for his dystopian, melancholic books, which have earned many prizes, such as the recent National Book Award for translated literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his books, notably his fictional works Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been made into movies.

Debut Novel

Born in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first gained recognition with his mid-80s first book Satantango, a dark and mesmerising portrayal of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The book would go on to secure the Man Booker International Prize recognition in English decades after, in 2013.

An Unconventional Literary Style

Frequently labeled as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his lengthy, intricate sentences (the twelve chapters of Satantango each comprise a solitary block of text), apocalyptic and melancholic motifs, and the kind of unwavering force that has led reviewers to compare him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

The novel was famously transformed into a lengthy film by cinematic artist Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long creative partnership.

"The author is a significant writer of epic tales in the European literary tradition that traces back to Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is defined by absurdist elements and bizarre extremes," said the Nobel chair, chair of the Nobel panel.

He described Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "developed towards … flowing syntax with lengthy, intricate phrases without punctuation that has become his signature."

Expert Opinions

Susan Sontag has called the author as "today's Hungarian expert of apocalypse," while Sebald praised the wide appeal of his perspective.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s novels have been translated into the English language. The literary critic Wood once noted that his books "are shared like precious items."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s professional journey has been influenced by exploration as much as by his writing. He first left the communist the country in 1987, staying a period in West Berlin for a fellowship, and later drew inspiration from Asia – notably China and Mongolia – for works such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While working on this novel, he journeyed extensively across Europe and stayed in Allen Ginsberg’s New York apartment, stating the legendary writer's backing as crucial to finalizing the book.

Author's Perspective

Asked how he would characterize his oeuvre in an conversation, Krasznahorkai answered: "Characters; then from these characters, words; then from these terms, some concise lines; then additional phrases that are lengthier, and in the main exceptionally extended sentences, for the span of 35 years. Beauty in prose. Fun in hell."

On fans discovering his writing for the first time, he noted: "If there are people who are new to my books, I would not suggest any specific title to read to them; rather, I’d advise them to go out, settle somewhere, maybe by the banks of a creek, with no tasks, nothing to think about, just being in silence like stones. They will sooner or later meet a person who has encountered my books."

Award Background

Prior to the declaration, oddsmakers had ranked the top contenders for this annual award as the Chinese writer, an innovative from China writer, and Krasznahorkai.

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been presented on over a hundred previous occasions since the early 20th century. Latest recipients are Annie Ernaux, Dylan, Gurnah, Louise Glück, Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. The previous year's winner was Han Kang, the South Korean novelist most famous for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially accept the prize medal and document in a function in winter in Stockholm, Sweden.

Additional details forthcoming