Why in the News?
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, a Hungarian novelist known for his dense, philosophical narratives and apocalyptic vision of modern existence.
Back2Basics: Nobel Prize in Literature
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About Laszlo Krasznahorkai:
- Overview: Hungarian novelist celebrated for his dense, philosophical, and apocalyptic prose that examines the fragility of modern civilization.
- Background: Regarded as one of Europe’s leading postmodern writers, noted for long, flowing sentences and hypnotic rhythm.
- Themes & Style: His works probe moral collapse, spiritual decay, existential isolation, and the search for meaning amid disorder.
- Literary Voice: Combines dark humor with metaphysical reflection; often set in bleak, decaying landscapes where characters struggle between despair and artistic endurance.
- Recognition: Known as a “writer’s writer”, his art embodies a belief in the redemptive endurance of literature.
Major Works & Adaptations:
- Satantango (1985):Â Debut novel portraying a collapsing rural community; adapted by BĂ©la Tarr into a seven-hour film, acclaimed for its realism and existential tone.
- The Melancholy of Resistance (1989): Allegory of hysteria and conformity in a small town; adapted as Werckmeister Harmonies (2000).
- War and War (1999): Follows a Hungarian archivist obsessed with preserving a manuscript symbolising human history; explores madness and transcendence.
- Seiobo There Below (2008): Interlinked stories on art and divinity across cultures; won the 2015 Man Booker International Prize.
- Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming (2016): Tragicomic portrait of post-communist moral decay; won the 2019 National Book Award (Translated Literature).
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