Overview

• Krasznahorkai, 71, becomes the second Hungarian literature laureate after Imre Kertész in 2002.
• The Academy placed him in the Central European tradition from Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, noting absurdism, grotesque excess, and a contemplative East Asian influence.
• His breakthrough Satantango (1985) and later works such as The Melancholy of Resistance were adapted into acclaimed films by director Béla Tarr.
• He told Sweden’s public radio he was “very happy” yet “very nervous,” reflecting on the announcement day.
• The award includes roughly 11 million Swedish kronor and will be presented at the December 10 ceremony in Stockholm, where the laureate is expected to deliver a lecture.