Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel committee awarded the author "for his fascinating and visionary work which, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art."
Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, in 2015. File image.
(AFP) The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded Thursday to Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, 71, the Nobel committee announced.
The author was awarded "for his fascinating and visionary work which, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art," the committee said.
Krasznahorkai, born in Gyula, in southeastern Hungary, is "a great epic writer in the Central European tradition stretching from Kafka to Thomas Bernhard, characterized by absurdity and grotesque excess," it added.
"But he has more resources, and also looks to the East by adopting a more contemplative and finely calibrated tone," the Swedish Academy continued.
His first novel, Satanic Tango, written in 1985 and published in Spanish by Acantilado, explores the themes of postmodern dystopia and melancholy, and brought him to prominence in Hungary. It remains his most famous work.
The novel recounts life in a declining village in communist Hungary through 12 chapters, each consisting of a single, lengthy paragraph.
Krasznahorkai, who grew up in a middle-class Jewish family, was among the favorites for the Literature prize, the fourth of the Nobel week.
"I am very happy, calm, and very nervous at the same time," he said on Swedish radio SR after receiving the award.
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