The Rolling Nobel Celebration: NobelMobil 2025 Brings Krasznahorkai László’s Literary Triumph to Budapest Streets
Budapest is about to celebrate a Nobel Prize in a way that feels more like a poetic street adventure than a formal state occasion. On 10 December 2025, while László Krasznahorkai receives the Nobel Prize in Literature in Stockholm, a flatbed truck called “NobelMobil 2025” will turn the streets of Budapest into a moving literary stage, inviting anyone – including curious visitors – to step in and become part of the story.
A rolling literary monument through Budapest
Instead of a red carpet or elite reception, Budapest is getting a slow‑moving, slightly surreal literary monument on wheels: a simple flatbed truck that will circle the city for 24 hours, from 6 a.m. on 10 December until 6 a.m. the next morning. Throughout this full day and night, the truck travels through different districts and stops at thirteen carefully chosen locations, spending about an hour at each stop so people have time to gather, listen and join in.
As the truck rolls through traffic, it becomes a kind of rolling sound installation. Instead of commercial jingles or music, loudspeakers play recordings of Krasznahorkai reading from his own works, including Mindig Homérosznak (Chasing Homer) and Háborús architektúrák (War Architectures), filling the winter air with his long, hypnotic sentences. The slow movement of the vehicle and the flow of words turn the city into a contemplative, slightly dreamlike space, even if you only catch it for a few minutes while crossing the street.
Where you can find NobelMobil during the day
The journey begins at 6:00 in the morning at a homeless shelter on Robert Bosch Street. By 8:30, it reaches the Goethe-Institut on Nagymező Street in the theatre district of Pest, followed by a stop at Magyar Telekom headquarters at 10:00. Around midday, it pauses near the Museum of Ethnography at Damjanich Street and Dvořák Promenade, then on to MagNet Community Bank on Andrássy Avenue by 13:30. The afternoon takes it to Agora Budapest Office Building in District XIII at 15:30.
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Evening and late‑night stops with a local flavour
Evening stops include the Hadik Café on Bartók Béla Boulevard at 18:30, the City Hall area near Merlin Theatre at 20:00, and the Ferencváros District Hall on Bakáts Square at 21:30. Near midnight, the truck arrives at the Hungarian Natural History Museum area. After midnight, it visits Tilos Rádió and Bem Cinema, followed by the Vízművek housing estate in Csepel at 3:00 a.m.
Dawn, a publishing house and a travelling guestbook
The final stop is at Magvető Publishing House on Dankó Street at 5:00 a.m., symbolically linking the public city celebration with the place where Krasznahorkai’s work is published. At each stop, the flatbed is transformed into a cosy reading nook where visitors can read aloud from Krasznahorkai’s new novel, A magyar nemzet biztonsága (The Security of the Hungarian Nation), and sign their names next to their chosen passages. This turns into a unique travelling guestbook sent to the author after the event.
A politics‑free, people‑centred celebration
Initiated by artists and coordinated by cultural professionals, NobelMobil 2025 is designed as an underground, community-driven, non-political celebration reflecting Krasznahorkai’s spirit – modest, serious, and inclusive. It invites everyone, locals and tourists alike, to witness how Budapest honors a literary Nobel Prize in a uniquely intimate and accessible way.
For visitors, this is more than an event; it’s a rare opportunity to experience the city’s cultural heartbeat through unexpected poetry on the streets. Following the truck’s route offers a deep and memorable connection to Budapest, its people, and one of its greatest writers. Dress warmly, open your ears and heart, and let the NobelMobil take you on a moving journey through the city’s soundscape and soul.
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