‘It has become difficult to live’: Hungarian writers bemoan country’s hostile environment

Nobel prize for Laszlo Krasznahorkai provides a rare glimpse of unity in a nation divided on party lines

Gyula, a tranquil and picturesque town in the east of Hungary, is best known for its sausages. It has no direct rail connection to Budapest, but it does have a library and a castle. Soon, it will also have an official copy of a Nobel medal.

Congratulations to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the first Nobel winner from Gyula," proclaim billboards in the town, paying tribute to the 71-year-old writer who won this year's Nobel prize in literature for his compelling and visionary oeuvre.".