László Krasznahorkai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids László Krasznahorkai
Born	(1954-01-05) 5 January 1954 (age 71) Gyula, Békés County, Hungarian People's Republic
Occupation	Novelist, screenwriter
Language	Hungarian, German
Alma mater	Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) (University of Budapest) József Attila University (JATE) (University of Szeged)
Period	1985–present
Genre	Novels, short stories, screenplays
Literary movement	Postmodernism
Notable awards	Man Booker International Prize Kossuth Prize DAAD fellowship
Spouse	Anikó Pelyhe (m. 1990, divorced) Dorka Haller (m. 1997, divorced)
Children	3 (Kata, Ágnes, and Emma)

László Krasznahorkai (born January 5, 1954) is a famous Hungarian writer and screenwriter. He is known for his unique novels, which often explore serious and thoughtful themes. Many people describe his writing style as "postmodern," meaning it's very modern and sometimes experimental.

Some of his well-known books, like Satantango (1985) and The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), were turned into movies. These films were directed by his friend, Béla Tarr.

Early Life and Education

László Krasznahorkai was born in Gyula, Hungary, on January 5, 1954. He grew up in a regular family; his father was a lawyer and his mother worked in social security.

In 1972, he finished high school, where he focused on Latin. He then studied law at József Attila University from 1973 to 1976. Later, he studied law at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest until 1978. From 1978 to 1983, he studied Hungarian language and literature at ELTE. He wrote his final paper on the writer Sándor Márai. While studying literature, Krasznahorkai also worked at a publishing company.

Career as a Writer

After finishing university, Krasznahorkai became a full-time writer. His first novel, Satantango, came out in 1985. It was a big success and made him a leading figure in Hungarian literature. This book later won the Best Translated Book Award in English in 2013.

In 1987, he traveled outside Hungary for the first time, spending a year in West Berlin. He received a special scholarship called a DAAD fellowship. After the political changes in Eastern Europe, he lived in many different places. In 1990, he visited East Asia for the first time. His experiences in Mongolia and China inspired his books The Prisoner of Urga and Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens. He has visited China many times since then.

In 1993, his novel The Melancholy of Resistance won a German literary prize for the best book of the year. In 1996, he was a guest at a special institute in Berlin. While writing his novel War and War, he traveled widely across Europe. The American poet Allen Ginsberg helped him a lot with this book. Krasznahorkai even stayed in Ginsberg's apartment in New York. He said Ginsberg's advice was very helpful.

He spent six months in Kyoto, Japan, in 1996, 2000, and 2005. Learning about the art and literature of the Far East changed his writing style and the topics he wrote about. He often returns to Germany and Hungary. He has also spent time in the United States, Spain, Greece, and Japan. These travels gave him ideas for his novel Seiobo There Below, which won the Best Translated Book Award in 2014.

Since 1985, the director and his friend Béla Tarr has made films based on Krasznahorkai's books. These include Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies. Krasznahorkai said their 2011 film The Turin Horse would be their last project together. Krasznahorkai has also worked with artist Max Neumann. They created the illustrated story Chasing Homer (2021), which also has music by jazz musician Szilveszter Miklós.

Critics around the world have praised Krasznahorkai's work. Famous writer Susan Sontag called him "the contemporary Hungarian master of apocalypse." In 2015, he won the Man Booker International Prize. He was the first Hungarian author to receive this important award.

Personal Life

László Krasznahorkai lived in Berlin, Germany, for several years. He was a visiting professor at the Free University of Berlin for six months. Today, he lives quietly in the hills of Szentlászló in Hungary. He has three children: Kata, Ágnes, and Emma.

Awards and Honors

Krasznahorkai has received many literary awards. These include the Kossuth Prize, which is Hungary's highest state award, and the Man Booker International Prize for his books translated into English.

• 2024: Prix Formentor
• 2021: Austrian State Prize for European Literature
• 2019: National Book Award for Translated Literature (USA) for Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming
• 2017: Aegon Art Award for Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming (Hungary)
• 2015: Man Booker International Prize
• 2014: Vilenica Prize (Slovenia)
• 2014: Best Translated Book Award, for Seiobo There Below
• 2014: America Award for his lifetime work in international writing
• 2013: Best Translated Book Award, for Satantango
• 2012: Prima Primissima Prize (Hungary)
• 2010: Brücke-Berlin Prize (Germany) for Seiobo There Below
• 2010: Spycher-Prize (Switzerland) for his complete work
• 2009: Prize of the Society of Writers (Hungary)
• 2008: Hungarian Heritage-Award (Hungary)
• 2004: Kossuth Prize (Hungary)
• 2003: Soros Foundation Prize
• 2002: Laureate of the Hungarian Republic
• 1998: Márai Sándor Prize (Hungary)
• 1993: Krúdy Gyula Prize (Hungary)
• 1993: Bestenliste-Prize (Germany) for The Melancholy of Resistance
• 1992: Déry Tibor Award (Hungary)
• 1987–1988: DAAD Fellowship (Germany)
• 1987: József Attila Prize (Hungary)

Books and Screenplays

Novels

• 1985: Satantango
• 1989: The Melancholy of Resistance
• 1992: The Prisoner of Urga
• 1999: War & War
• 2004: Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens
• 2008: Seiobo There Below
• 2016: Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming
• 2021: Herscht 07769
• 2024: Zsömle odavan

Novellas (Shorter Novels)

• 2003: A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East
• 2009: The Last Wolf
• 2010: Animalinside (with Max Neumann)
• 2018: Spadework for a Palace
• 2019: Chasing Homer (with illustrations by Max Neumann)

Short Story Collections

• 1986: Relations of Grace
• 2013: The World Goes On

Screenplays for Films

• 1988: Damnation
• 1989: The Last Boat
• 1994: Sátántangó
• 1997–2001: Werckmeister Harmonies
• 2007: The Man from London
• 2011: The Turin Horse

See also

In Spanish: László Krasznahorkai para niños