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Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, recognised for a body of work that delves into postmodern dystopia and melancholy.
The Swedish Academy praised him “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”
At 71, Krasznahorkai is widely regarded as Hungary’s most significant living writer.
The Academy described 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.”
It also noted his engagement with Eastern literary traditions, which brings a more contemplative and finely tuned quality to his work.
Krasznahorkai had been mentioned among potential laureates ahead of the announcement.
Last year, the prize went to South Korean author Han Kang, who became the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Literature Prize.
The award has faced longstanding criticism for favouring Western male authors; only 18 women have received it out of 122 laureates since 1901. Following a #MeToo scandal in 2018, the Swedish Academy introduced reforms to make the prize more global and gender-balanced.
The Nobel Prize in Literature includes a diploma, a gold medal, and a cash award of $1.2 million.
Krasznahorkai will formally receive the prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on December 10, marking the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the prize’s founder.
