The 400 Page Sentence

Ever read a 400-page sentence? Me neither.

But last week, László Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize in literature for writing one.

Now, I gotta be honest - before last week, I had never heard of him. I checked with my high school AP English teacher (Yes! He’s still around!) and even he hadn’t heard of him. So I don’t feel too bad.

Anyway, if you haven’t heard of him either, Krasznahorkai is a Hungarian writer who is known for writing challenging and demanding (so says Wikipedia) works. His latest novel, Herscht 07769, is one long sentence that goes on for 400 pages. His novel Satantango is…shall we say…unique. It’s divided into 12 chapters, with the first six chapters counting up from 1 to 6, followed by the remaining six counting down from 6 to 1 - moving forward and backward like the Tango. Long, winding sentences, few paragraph breaks — a “disorienting and immersive experience,” so I’m told.

So why am I going on and on about the Prize-winning Mr. Krasznahorkai?

It’s just this: Stories don’t always have to conform.

It’s ok to experiment, to break the mold…hell, to break the rules. Lots of stories break the rules. Some of it works. Some of it doesn’t. Some of it’s crap.

But sometimes…sometimes if you break the rules, you can create something magical. And maybe even win a Nobel Prize.

Let's break some rules together.

#StoryTelling #RuleBreakers