FRANKFURT (CONVERSEER) – The newly crowned winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, László Krasznahorkai, will not be attending the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair, organizers said on Monday.
The 71-year-old Hungarian will not be able to attend the opening press conference on Tuesday as planned for health reasons.
The fair is the world’s largest gathering of the publishing industry, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every October to the German city. The guest country for this year’s edition is the Philippines.
Krasznahorkai was awarded the Nobel Prize on Thursday for his “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” the Swedish Academy said.
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He was in Frankfurt when he received the call informing him of his victory.
His challenging works are often described as post-modern and apocalyptic, as well as being strongly influenced by literary greats such as Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett.
Krasznahorkai made his literary debut in 1985 with “Satantango,” a novel set in a rain-drenched, dystopian village populated by half-crazed residents. It was subsequently made into a film lasting over 7 hours by Hungarian director Béla Tarr.
