Nobel Literature Laureate Krasznahorkai Delivers Rare Lecture in Stockholm
Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, renowned for his surreal and anarchic novels that blend bleak perspectives with mordant humor, made a rare public appearance in Stockholm to deliver a lecture. This lecture was part of the ongoing Nobel Week in both Stockholm and Oslo, where laureates engage in news conferences and speeches prior to receiving their prestigious awards.
In his lecture, delivered in Hungarian, Krasznahorkai explored a range of themes, including the interplay of old and new angels, human dignity, the absence of hope, rebellion, and his observations of a clochard (tramp) on the Berlin subway. He began by stating that upon receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, he intended to share his thoughts on hope, but given his depleted reserves of hope, he would instead discuss angels.
Distinguishing between 'the angels of old' and 'the new angels', Krasznahorkai described the latter as wingless beings devoid of any message. They exist among us in their ordinary street attire, unrecognizable if they choose to be. These new angels merely stand and observe, seeking our gaze, which they implore us to reciprocate. However, as Krasznahorkai poignantly notes, we have no message to convey.
His characteristic, meandering sentences, brimming with apocalyptic imagery but lacking full stops, convey a startling revelation: the new angels are sacrifices, not for us but because of us. This sacrifice is made for every individual, as Krasznahorkai emphasizes. The author underscores the pervasive nature of war, both in nature and society, which is waged not only with weapons and torture but also with the power of a single bad word.
When the Nobel judges announced the award for Krasznahorkai in October, they described the 71-year-old as a 'great epic writer' whose work is characterized by absurdism and grotesque excess. They noted that his work is part of a Central European tradition, marked by pessimism and apocalypse, but also humor and unpredictability.
Notable among his novels are 'Satantango,' 'The Melancholy of Resistance,' 'War and War,' 'Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming,' and 'Herscht 07769.'
The 2022 Nobel Literature Prize went to South Korean author Han Kang, while the 2023 winner was Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, whose work includes a seven-book epic composed of a single sentence. Meanwhile, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Kristian Harpviken, announced that Venezuelan Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader María Corina Machado will visit Oslo this week to receive her award in person.
Machado, who won for her efforts in achieving a democratic transition in Venezuela, has been in hiding and unseen in public since January. Harpviken confirmed that Machado will personally collect the prize on Wednesday, the 10th anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896, with the peace award ceremony taking place in Oslo and the other ceremonies in Stockholm.
