Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature for his novel Herscht 07769 on Thursday, lauded for its profound depiction of social unrest in contemporary Germany and its exploration of the interplay between violence and beauty.
Born in 1954 in Gyula, a small town near Hungary’s border with Romania, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his intricate, long sentences and philosophical depth, with his works often likened to those of Franz Kafka and Thomas Bernhard for their blend of absurdism, grotesque imagery, and spiritual introspection.
The Nobel Committee described Krasznahorkai as "a great epic writer in the Central European tradition" whose writing "extends through Kafka to Thomas Bernhard" and "is characterised by absurdism and grotesque excess." His award-winning novel Herscht 07769 was hailed as a "great contemporary German novel" for its vivid portrayal of a small Thuringian town grappling with social chaos, violence, and arson.
Set against the cultural backdrop of Johann Sebastian Bach, the novel delves into the coexistence of terror and beauty in human experience. Written in Krasznahorkai’s distinctive uninterrupted prose style, Herscht 07769 captures "violence and beauty impossibly conjoined," as noted in the Nobel citation.
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The narrative follows a group of impoverished residents awaiting salvation from two mysterious men believed to have returned from the dead. The novel was adapted into a landmark 1994 film by director Béla Tarr, marking the start of a significant creative collaboration between the author and filmmaker.
The Nobel Committee praised Krasznahorkai’s ability to guide readers “through a row of side doors to the inexplicable act of creation,” emphasising his unique blend of intellectual rigour and emotional resonance. His win solidifies his status as one of Europe’s most significant contemporary novelists, celebrated for crafting a singular literary vision that bridges East and West, beauty and despair, while transforming chaos and contemplation into profound narratives.
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Krasznahorkai first gained international recognition with his 1985 debut novel Sátántangó (Satantango), a stark yet lyrical portrayal of life in a decaying Hungarian village. Over his extensive career, he has drawn inspiration from East Asian philosophy and landscapes, weaving themes of impermanence, beauty, and creation into his works.
His 2003 novel A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, and a River to the East, set near Kyoto, serves as a lyrical meditation on spiritual searching. This was followed by Seiobo There Below (2008), a collection of seventeen interconnected stories structured in a Fibonacci sequence, exploring themes of artistic devotion and the pursuit of transcendence.
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