László Krasznahorkai attacks "angels without wings like Elon Musk" in his Nobel speech

BarcelonaThe Nobel Prize acceptance speech for literature by by László Krasznahorkai (Gyula, Hungary, 1954) has been a call and a warning. The writer of titles such as Satanic Tango (Ediciones del Cráter, 2025) and Melancholy of resistance (Acantilado, 2001) has said that we must be vigilant "about these new angels without wings," among whom he cited billionaire Elon Musk. "With their insane plans, they are taking over people's space and time," Krasznahorkai warned. The writer's intention was to dedicate the speech to hope, but he was forced to change it given the evidence that "the reserves of hope had been completely exhausted." Krasznahorkai has used the term new angels to refer to people who "walk among us dressed in street clothes and appear unsettlingly here and there, in all kinds of situations in our lives."

Following this reflection, Krasznahorkai launched a passionate defense of those who live "on the margins" and championed their dignity and innocence. These are, in fact, two of the concerns that have marked his life and his writing. The writer explained that at 19 he decided to abandon his law studies and live on the streets to "better understand the excluded." From that experience arose the deep respect for those who live on the margins that permeates much of his work. He illustrated this with an episode he experienced on the Berlin subway years ago, when "a homeless man, his back bent with pain and his gaze pleading for compassion, was trying to urinate on the tracks when he was caught by a policeman." All of this prompted him to ask himself the question: "Human being, amazing creature, who are you?"

Krasznahorkai has reflected deeply on humanity and captured a hopeless vision. "Human beings, you invented the wheel, you invented fire, you realized that cooperation was your only means of survival. You invented feelings and empathy, until, suddenly, you began to believe in nothing. And, thanks to the devices you yourself invited, you destroyed it," the writer.

"A permanent correction"

Regarding his work, Krasznahorkai explained that years after publishing Satanic Tango He felt it wasn't perfect and that he needed to improve his style. So he started writing another book, and so on to the present day. "My life is a constant process of revision," the writer has said, confessing that Franz Kafka is his literary hero. Shy and humble, the Nobel laureate explained that he would have liked to write only one book because he didn't want to become a writer. "I didn't want to be anyone," he asserted.

His public appearance has been especially celebrated because, due to health reasons, Krasznahorkai has a very limited schedule. The writer, in fact, canceled his participation in the Kosmopolis festival.of which he was the headliner—and a few days later he also declined the invitation to the Frankfurt Book Fair, where he was scheduled to deliver the opening address. Krasznahorkai is the second Hungarian writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. His predecessor, the late Imre Kertész, won it in 2002 and was, for him, "a great friend and an important literary influence."