The Nobel Prize-winning author of Literature 2025 likened crypto to "the proof that money has been virtualized."

A short story by Nobel Prize-winning author László Krasznahorkai has called cryptocurrency the “most convincing evidence” that currency is just an abstract concept.

Last week, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 to this Hungarian writer — recognized for “an engrossing and visionary literary career that affirms the power of art in the context of apocalyptic fears.”

However, what particularly caught the attention of the cryptocurrency community was Krasznahorkai's unexpected mention of crypto in a recent short story of his — An Angel Passed Above Us (translated: An Angel Passed Above Us), which was translated into English and published in The Yale Review in February.

Writer László KrasznahorkaiThe story is set in a ruined trench in Ukraine, where two wounded soldiers lie motionless after a heavy shelling. In that desolate scene, one soldier begins to monologue, seemingly speaking to a fallen comrade — about money, blockchain, and faith.

He said: “Money has long been an illusion, and the clearest evidence of this today is cryptocurrency.” Then he continued: “It is not difficult to predict that crypto will bring profound changes to society — this is something everyone can see now, the only question is: how to do it right.”

According to the soldier, many people “think that passion is enough, but no, crypto requires real knowledge. And that knowledge can only be gained when we understand clearly what crypto is and what it is not — the things it can and cannot do.”

The monologue gradually shifted into a prophecy: “To understand crypto,” he said, “one not only needs an overview but also foresight.”

Since then, the story goes further, when the soldier asserts that blockchain is “one of the greatest inventions in modern history.”

“For me,” he said, “crypto is a symbol of innovation. Crypto, along with blockchain, creates an operational model that allows for qualities such as authenticity, consistency, identity, and a borderless flexibility.”

He believes that the current financial system “is still limited by physical constraints,” but as “more different cryptocurrencies emerge and become popular, they will gradually prove their true value by being integrated into all aspects of society.”

That, according to the soldier, will make “crypto more reliable, increasingly intertwined with global life.”

Amidst the distant echoes of explosions, he paused, adjusted his voice, and softly said: “Well then, let's just call it crypto money. No matter what it's called, money is still just a matter of trust.”

And as a concluding remark, he said: “When we witnessed the birth of the crypto world, it became evident — in the future, capital and value will be based on actions. That model has existed — it is in crypto.”

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