László Krasznahorkai has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature.

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

Krasznahorkai is one of international literature’s greatest postmodernists, with a prodigious bibliography that begins with his debut novel, Satantango, published in 1985, and currently at the height of his powers; the Academy describes him as “a great epic writer in the Central European tradition that extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, and is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess. But there are more strings to his bow, and he also looks to the East in adopting a more contemplative, finely calibrated tone.” A well deserved award, and no great shock; the bookies were on point this year.

Haven’t read him? Start with an excerpt from Krasznahorkai’s Herscht 07769, translated by Ottilie Mulzet. Or try an excerpt from Krasznahorkai’s The World Goes On, translated by Ottilie Mulzet and George Szirtes.

Know all about him? Expand your mind by checking out his list of reading recommendations.

Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach