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The coveted Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the committee.

The Jury praised the 71-year-old's "gripping and imaginative body of work that, amidst apocalyptic terror, reasserts the force of art."

A Renowned Path of Bleak Writing

Krasznahorkai is known for his dark, melancholic novels, which have garnered several prizes, such as the recent National Book Award for international writing and the prestigious Man Booker International Prize.

Many of his works, among them his titles his debut and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been made into movies.

Initial Success

Originating in a Hungarian locale in the mid-1950s, Krasznahorkai first rose to prominence with his 1985 debut novel Satantango, a dark and hypnotic representation of a disintegrating village society.

The work would go on to win the Man Booker International Prize award in the English language decades after, in 2013.

A Unique Writing Approach

Commonly referred to as avant-garde, Krasznahorkai is famous for his extended, meandering sentences (the 12 chapters of Satantango each comprise a single paragraph), apocalyptic and melancholic themes, and the kind of unwavering force that has led critics to liken him to Kafka, Melville, and Gogol.

Satantango was notably transformed into a seven-hour film by filmmaker Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a lengthy working relationship.

"The author is a remarkable epic writer in the European tradition that includes Franz Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess," said Anders Olsson, leader of the Nobel committee.

He characterized Krasznahorkai’s prose as having "developed towards … flowing syntax with lengthy, intricate phrases lacking periods that has become his signature."

Critical Acclaim

Susan Sontag has called the author as "today's Hungarian expert of apocalypse," while the writer W.G. Sebald commended the broad relevance of his perspective.

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

International Inspiration

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been molded by exploration as much as by his writing. He first departed from communist the country in 1987, residing a period in Berlin for a scholarship, and later was inspired from east Asia – notably Asian nations – for books such as The Prisoner of Urga, and his book on China.

While writing this novel, he journeyed extensively across European nations and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York home, noting the renowned Beat poet's assistance as vital to finishing the work.

Krasznahorkai on His Work

Questioned how he would describe his oeuvre in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Characters; then from these characters, words; then from these terms, some brief phrases; then more sentences that are lengthier, and in the main exceptionally extended phrases, for the period of 35 years. Elegance in writing. Enjoyment in hell."

On fans finding his writing for the initial encounter, he continued: "If there are readers who haven’t read my works, I would not suggest anything to peruse to them; on the contrary, I’d advise them to step out, rest at a location, possibly by the banks of a creek, with no obligations, a clear mind, just staying in tranquility like stones. They will sooner or later come across an individual who has previously read my books."

Award Background

Ahead of the reveal, betting agencies had listed the frontrunners for this annual honor as Can Xue, an experimental from China author, and Krasznahorkai himself.

The Nobel Honor in Writing has been awarded on one hundred seventeen previous occasions since 1901. Latest winners have included the French author, the musician, Gurnah, Glück, Handke and the Polish author. The most recent recipient was the South Korean writer, the Korean novelist renowned for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially be presented with the prize medal and document in a ceremony in winter in Stockholm, Sweden.

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