László Krasznahorkai Wins Nobel Prize in Literature
Penguin Random House publishes the Hungarian author’s works in Brazil and Portugal.
The Swedish Academy announced yesterday that Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. The 71-year-old, regarded as Hungary’s foremost contemporary author, is being honored “for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” according to the Swedish Academy. Penguin Random House also shares in the celebration: the publishing group releases Krasznahorkai’s works in Portuguese, through Companhia das Letras in Brazil, and Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial (PRHGE) in Portugal.
‘Boundary-pushing literature’
With yesterday’s announcement in Stockholm, László Krasznahorkai joins more than 80 Nobel laureates in literature published by Penguin Random House. Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House, shared the news in a letter to employees, writing: “This recognition not only honors a towering literary figure, but reflects our shared belief in the enduring power of ambitious, boundary-pushing literature.”
Next week, Cavalo De Ferro, an imprint of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, will publish “Herscht 07769,” an epic novel written entirely in a cascading single sentence. In 2026, “Guerra e Guerra” (“War and War”) will follow in Portugal. Companhia das Letras in Brazil has already released “Sátántangó” (“Satan Tango”), a monumental and relentless work that has become one of the cornerstones of contemporary European fiction. Early next year, the Brazilian publishing group will bring out “Báró Wenckheim hazatér” (“Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming”), the author’s first humorous novel after a series of works exploring existential and often apocalyptic themes. “Herscht 07769” will also be published by Companhia.
‘An author who pushes literature into new frontiers’
Clara Capitão, Publishing Director at Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Portugal, said: “This prize, along with many others before, testifies to the quality and ambition of László Krasznahorkai’s oeuvre and its universal and timely appeal. His novels are demanding but at the same time extremely gratifying reads.” Luiz Schwarcz, Editor and Founder of Companhia das Letras, added: “A long-awaited and well-deserved award for an author who, like the greatest writers, pushes literature into new frontiers.”
László Krasznahorkai, whom Susan Sontag once described as “the contemporary Hungarian master of the apocalypse,” is renowned for his intricate prose and dystopian novels. Born in 1954 in Gyula, Hungary, he has received many of the world’s most prestigious literary honors, including the Man Booker International Prize in 2015 and the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2019.
