László Krasznahorkai: "We are already living through the apocalypse"

Hungary's 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate in conversation with Pedro Abrunhosa at BABELL

László Krasznahorkai, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, was one of the most eagerly anticipated guests at BABELL. In a conversation moderated by Pedro Abrunhosa, with readings by Emília Silvestre, the Hungarian "master of the apocalypse" was unequivocal: "we are already living through the apocalypse".

The author stressed the urgency of adapting to this reality, pointing out that the world's population has already surpassed eight billion, while the planet's sustainable capacity is only two billion. Faced with this scenario, he argued that people should "eat books", in other words, consume literature as a means of survival.

Krasznahorkai ended on a note of defiance, suggesting that "hope is a mistake, but it is the only way out of despair".