László Krasznahorkai

»A hell of a lot of fun« is what his literature is like, said László Krasznahorkai in an interview. With these words, the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate outlines key elements of his work: the apocalyptic is just as much a part of it as humour. His fluid, meandering prose draws readers into the stories as if into a whirlpool.

On the road to the Nobel Prize
The Hungarian-born author achieved great success in 1985 with his debut novel »Satanstango«, followed by »The Melancholy of Resistance«, »War and War«, »Rule 07769« and »Zsömle is Gone«.

»In the Madness of Others«
One day after Krasznahorkai opens Vienna’s Buch Wien book fair, he will read in German from his collection of short stories »In the Madness of Others«. In it, we follow a New York librarian who loses himself whilst following in the footsteps of Hermann Melville. In another story, a labyrinthine chase by train and ferry across Europe ends on a remote island. But no salvation awaits here – only a trap. Szilveszter Miklós complements the breathless pull of the language with improvised drum solos, which are also included as the book’s soundtrack.