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The world-renowned Nobel Prize in Literature for this year has been bestowed upon from Hungary author László Krasznahorkai, as announced by the Swedish Academy.

The Academy commended the author's "gripping and imaginative collection that, in the midst of cataclysmic fear, reasserts the force of the arts."

An Esteemed Career of Dystopian Fiction

Krasznahorkai is known for his dystopian, somber novels, which have garnered many awards, including the recent National Book Award for international writing and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.

A number of of his novels, notably his titles Satantango and another major work, have been adapted into cinematic works.

Debut Novel

Born in the Hungarian town of Gyula in 1954, Krasznahorkai first made his mark with his 1985 debut novel Satantango, a grim and captivating portrayal of a disintegrating countryside settlement.

The work would go on to secure the Man Booker International Prize recognition in translation many years later, in 2013.

A Distinctive Literary Style

Frequently labeled as postmodern, Krasznahorkai is renowned for his long, winding phrases (the dozen sections of the book each are a solitary block of text), bleak and melancholic motifs, and the kind of relentless power that has led critics to compare him to literary giants like Kafka.

Satantango was famously adapted into a lengthy motion picture by cinematic artist Béla Tarr, with whom Krasznahorkai has had a long working relationship.

"He is a significant epic writer in the central European literary tradition that includes Kafka to the Austrian writer, and is marked by absurdist elements and bizarre extremes," commented the Nobel chair, head of the Nobel panel.

He portrayed Krasznahorkai’s writing as having "progressed to … flowing structure with extended, meandering sentences without full stops that has become his hallmark."

Critical Acclaim

The critic Susan Sontag has called the author as "the contemporary Hungarian expert of end-times," while Sebald praised the universality of his outlook.

Just a small number of Krasznahorkai’s works have been rendered in the English language. The literary critic James Wood once remarked that his books "are shared like precious items."

Worldwide Travels

Krasznahorkai’s literary path has been shaped by travel as much as by language. He first departed from communist his homeland in 1987, spending a period in Berlin for a fellowship, and later drew inspiration from east Asia – particularly Asian nations – for works such as a specific work, and another novel.

While writing War and War, he journeyed extensively across European nations and resided temporarily in Allen Ginsberg’s New York home, stating the famous poet's support as vital to finishing the book.

Author's Perspective

Questioned how he would characterize his work in an interview, Krasznahorkai said: "Letters; then from letters, vocabulary; then from these words, some short sentences; then additional phrases that are lengthier, and in the chief extremely lengthy sentences, for the period of three and a half decades. Elegance in prose. Enjoyment in despair."

On audiences discovering his work for the first time, he noted: "Should there be people who haven’t read my novels, I would not suggest anything to explore to them; rather, I’d suggest them to go out, rest in a place, perhaps by the side of a brook, with no tasks, no thoughts, just remaining in tranquility like stones. They will in time meet a person who has encountered my novels."

Literature Prize History

Prior to the declaration, betting agencies had pegged the frontrunners for this annual honor as Can Xue, an experimental Chinese writer, and the Hungarian.

The Nobel Award in Literary Arts has been presented on one hundred seventeen past events since 1901. Recent laureates are Annie Ernaux, Dylan, Gurnah, Glück, Handke and Olga Tokarczuk. The most recent honoree was the South Korean writer, the Korean author most famous for The Vegetarian.

Krasznahorkai will officially be presented with the medal and certificate in a ceremony in winter in Stockholm.

Updates to come