upcScavenger » 1959 Births » Wiki: Jon Fosse

Jon Fosse

( 1959 Births )

Biography
Literary style and influ..
Recognition

Nobel Prize in Literatur..

Personal life
Awards and honours
Publications

Novels & novellas
Short fiction & essays
Children's
Plays
Poetry

References
External links

C O N T E N T S

Fosse Literature Prize Samlaget

Rank: 100%

Wiki
Comments
Media

Jon Olav Fosse (; born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author, translator, and playwright. In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable."

Fosse's work spans over seventy novels, poems, children's books, essays, and theatre plays, which have been translated into over fifty languages.Frank Johnsen/Bergens Tidende: -Eg skriv aldri sjølvbiografisk – Intervju med Jon Fosse – Aftenposten 4. november 2020 The most performed Norwegian playwright after Henrik Ibsen, Fosse is currently—with productions presented on over a thousand stages worldwide—one of the most performed contemporary playwrights globally. His minimalist and deeply introspective plays, with language often bordering on lyrical prose and poetry, have been noted to represent a modern continuation of the dramatic tradition established by Henrik Ibsen in the 19th century.H.H. Andersson, Jon Fosse i teaterhistorien, kunstinstitusjonen og markedet, University of Oslo, 2003 Fosse's work has often been placed within the tradition of post-dramatic theatre, while several of his notable novels have been described as belonging to the style of post-modernist and avant-garde literature, due to their minimalism, lyricism and unorthodox use of syntax.

Biography

Fosse was born in 1959 in Haugesund, Norway, and grew up in Strandebarm. His family were Quakers and Pietism, which he credits with shaping his spiritual views.

Troy Storfjell (2026). 9780787668341, Gale. . ISBN 9780787668341

A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; Fosse saw a shimmering light and experienced peace and beauty: "I think this experience fundamentally changed me," Fosse recalled, "and perhaps made me a writer."I have to talk about it because it's so fundamental to me: at the age of seven, I was close to death because of an accident . . I could see myself sitting here . . everything was peaceful, and I looked at the houses back home, and I felt quite sure that I saw them for the last time as I was going to the doctor. Everything was shimmering and very peaceful, a very happy state, like a cloud of particles of light. This experience is the most important experience from my childhood. And it has been very formative for me as a person, both in good and in bad ways. I think it created me as a kind of artist." ('Jon Fosse's Search for Peace'. The New Yorker, 13 November 2022) He started writing around the age of twelve. As a teenager, Fosse was interested in becoming a rock guitarist, and he began to dedicate more time to writing once he gave up his musical ambitions. He also played the fiddle, and much of his teenage writing practice involved creating his own lyrics for musical pieces. Growing up, he was influenced by communism and anarchism and has described himself as a "hippie".

Fosse enrolled at the University of Bergen and studied comparative literature during which time he began writing in Nynorsk. His debut novel, Raudt, svart ( Red, Black), was published in 1983 and was influenced by the Nynorsk writer Tarjei Vesaas. The novel contrasted with the social realist fiction popular in Norway at the time and emphasised linguistic expression rather than plot. He published a second novel, Stengd gitar ( Closed Guitar) in 1985 and a poetic cycle, Engel med vatn i augene ( Angel with Water in Its Eyes) in 1986. He gained a master's degree in comparative literature in 1987, again from the University of Bergen, and published his third novel, Blod. Steinen er ( Blood. The Stone Is). Following his separation from his wife in 1989, Fosse published a novel and his first collection of essays. In the early 1990s, he continued to publish novels and worked with his second wife, Grethe Fatima Syéd, on several translations.

Fosse's first play, Og aldri skal vi skiljast ( And We'll Never Be Parted), was performed and published in 1994. Fosse has written novels, short stories, poetry, children's books, essays, and plays. His works have been translated into more than forty languages. Between working on his novels, Fosse works as a translator of other authors' works.

Fosse wrote the libretto for the opera Asle og Alida (2025), composed by Bent Sørensen.

Literary style and influences

Fosse writes in nynorsk. His plays are seen as a modern continuation of the tradition established by Henrik Ibsen in the 19th century. His prose works are often said to be closer to poetry than the traditional novel. Fosse considers himself primarily a poet, regardless of the literary form he is using. Fosse's native Vestlandet is a frequently present inspiration in his writing.

Fosse mentions Samuel Beckett, as well as Georg Trakl and Thomas Bernhard as his elective relatives. Other authors and books that have influenced his life and work include Olav H. Hauge, Knut Hamsun, Tarjei Vesaas, Franz Kafka, William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, and the Bible.

Recognition

Fosse is the most performed Norwegian playwright after Henrik Ibsen.

In 2003, Fosse was made a chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite of France. Fransk heder til Fosse, nrk.no. He has also been ranked number 83 on the list of the Top 100 living geniuses by The Daily Telegraph.

Since 2011, Fosse has been granted the Grotten, an honorary residence owned by the Norwegian state and located on the premises of the Royal Palace in the city centre of Oslo. The use of the Grotten as a permanent residence is an honour specially bestowed by the King of Norway for contributions to and culture. He was among the literary consultants for Bibel 2011, a Norwegian translation of the Bible published in 2011. He was also awarded the 2015 Nordic Council's Literature Prize for the trilogy Andvake ( Wakefulness), Olavs draumar ( Olav's Dreams), and Kveldsvævd ( Weariness).

Many of Fosse's works have been translated into Persian by Mohammad Hamed, and his dramatic works have been performed on the main stages in Tehran, Iran. Six of Fosse's plays have been translated into American English by interdisciplinary artist Sarah Cameron Sunde, who also directed their American debut productions in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pa. The translated works which have been produced include Night Sings its Songs (2004), deathvariations (2006), SaKaLa (2008), A Summer Day (2012), and Dream of Autumn (2013).

In April 2022, Fosse's novel A New Name: Septology VI-VII, translated into English by Damion Searls, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. The book was named a finalist for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction.

In 2026, Fosse's play Suzannah is scheduled for the Canadian premiere at Here For Now Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, directed by Peter Hinton-Davis, one of Canada's leading theatre directors and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Nobel Prize in Literature

In October 2023, Fosse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable". The Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 nobelprize.org This made him the first Nynorsk writer to receive the prize and the fourth Norwegian to win it, following Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun in 1920, and Sigrid Undset, who won it in 1928.

Fosse was one of the favourites to win the prize in 2023, and had been tipped to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for the last ten years. The choice was generally well received. "Jon Fosse is a highly deserving Nobel laureate", Gregory Wolfe of Slant Books said. "Readers willing to accept the brief 'learning curve' of adjusting to his narrative style will be well rewarded by a writer of an almost mystical sensibility." "He is an exceptional writer, who has managed to find a totally unique way of writing fiction", publisher Jacques Testard stated.

Fosse told NRK that he was "surprised but also not" to have won the prize "I’ve been part of the discussion for 10 years and have more and less tentatively prepared myself that this could happen".

Fosse delivered his Nobel lecture on 7 December 2023 at the Swedish Academy. Entitled The Silent Language, he spoke about the difference between spoken language and written language and the use and effect of silence in his works.

At the award ceremony in Stockholm on 10 December, Anders Olsson, chair of the Swedish Academy's Nobel committee, described Fosse's narrative world as "a domain beset by the greatest anxiety and torment of indecision. ... his writing approaches a state of uncertainty that can open a relation to the divine." Furthermore, he credited Septology with having "hypnotic power."

Personal life

Fosse has been married three times. He was married to Bjørg Sissel (b. 1959), a nurse, from 1980 to 1992 with whom he had a son. The next year, he married Grethe Fatima Syéd, an Indian diaspora translator and author, although they later separated. They had two daughters and a son during their marriage.

Fosse spends part of his time with his third wife, Anna (m. 2011), who is Slovak, in Hainburg an der Donau in Austria. He also owns homes in Bergen and two more in other parts of western Norway. Originally, he was a member of the Church of Norway (although he described himself as an Atheism before 2012). In 2012–2013, he joined the Catholic Church and voluntarily admitted himself to rehabilitation to address his long-term issues with alcohol consumption. His conversion to Catholicism helped Fosse in his effort to stop drinking. Fosse practices solitude by keeping away from noises, never watching television or listening to radio, and rarely listening to music. In his pursuit of solitude, Fosse sees writing as a confession and a prayer.

Awards and honours

Publications

Novels & novellas

Raudt, svart (Samlaget, 1983)
Stengd gitar (Samlaget, 1985)
Blod. Steinen er (Samlaget, 1987)
Naustet (Samlaget, 1989) - Boathouse, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (Dalkey Archive, 2017)
Flaskesamlaren (Samlaget, 1991)
Bly og vatn (Samlaget, 1992)
Melancholia I (Samlaget, 1995) - Melancholy, trans. Grethe Kvernes and Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2006)
Melancholy II (Samlaget, 1996) - Melancholy II, trans. Eric Dickens (Dalkey Archive, 2014)
Morgon og kveld (Samlaget, 2000) - Morning and Evening, trans. Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2015)
Det er Ales (Samlaget, 2004) - Aliss at the Fire, trans. Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2010)
Andvake (Samlaget, 2007)
Olavs draumar (Samlaget, 2012)
Kveldsvævd (Samlaget, 2014)
Trilogien (Samlaget, 2014) - Trilogy, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (Dalkey Archive, 2016)
Det andre namnet – Septologien I-II (Samlaget, 2019) - The Other Name: Septology I-II, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2019, Transit Books (US), 2020)
Eg er ein annan – Septologien III-V (Samlaget, 2020) - I Is Another: Septology III-V, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2020, Transit Books (US), 2021)
Eit nytt namn – Septologien VI-VII (Samlaget, 2021) - A New Name: Septology VI-VII, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2021, Transit Books (US), 2022)
Septology (Samlaget, 2022) - Septology, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2022, Transit Books (US), 2022)
Kvitleik (Samlaget, 2023) - A Shining, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2023, Transit Books (US), 2023)
Vaim (Samlaget, 2025) - Vaim, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK), 2025, Transit Books (US), 2025)

Short fiction & essays

Frå telling via showing til writing (1989)
To forteljingar (Samlaget, 1993)
Prosa frå ein oppvekst (Samlaget, 1994) - Scenes from a Childhood, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2018)
Hundemanuskripta (Samlaget, 1995-1997)
Eldre kortare prosa med 7 bilete av Camilla Wærenskjold (Samlaget, 1998)
Gnostiske essay (1999)
Kortare prosa (Samlaget, 2011)
Essay (Samlaget, 2011)
Når ein engel går gjennom scenen og andre essay (2014). An Angel Walks Through the Stage: and Other Essays, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (Dalkey Archive, 2015).
Levande stein (Samlaget, 2015)

Children's

Uendelig Seint, illustrated by Alf-Kåre Berg (Samlaget, 1989)
Kant, illustrated by Akin Düzakin (Samlaget, 1990)
Dyrehagen Hardanger (Samlaget, 1993)
Vått og svart, illustrated by Akin Düzakin (Samlaget, 1994)
Søster, illustrated by Vá Leong (Samlaget, 2000)
Spelejenta, illustrated by Øyvind Torseter (Samlaget, 2009)
Fridtjov & Ingebjørg, illustrated by Oddvar Torsheim (Skald, 2014)

Plays

Nokon kjem til å komme (written in 1992–93; first produced in 1996). Someone is Going to Come
Og aldri skal vi skiljast (1994). And We'll Never Be Parted
Namnet (1995). The Name
Barnet (1996). The Child. Originally published with Mor og barn and Sonen.
Mor og barn (1997). Mother and Child. Originally published with Barnet and Sonen.
Sonen (1997). The Son. Originally published with Barnet and Mor og barn
Gitarmannen (1997). The Guitar Man. Originally sent as a Christmas Greeting from Samlaget. Renamed to Saxofonmannen
Natta syng sine songar (1997). Nightsongs, trans. Gregory Motton (2002).
Ein sommars dag (1999). A Summer's Day
Draum om hausten (1999). Dream of Autumn
Sov du vesle barnet mitt (2000). Sleep My Baby Sleep
Besøk (2000). Visits
Vinter (2000). Winter
Ettermiddag (2000). Afternoon
Vakkert (2001). Beautiful
Dødsvariasjonar (2001). Death Variations
Jenta i sofaen (2002). The Girl on the Sofa, trans. David Harrower (2002).
Lilla (2003). Lilac
Suzannah (2004)
Dei døde hundane (2004). The Dead Dogs, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (2014).
Sa ka la (2004)
Svevn (2005). Sleep
Varmt (2005). Warm
Rambuku (2006)
Skuggar (2006). Shadows
Eg er vinden (2007). I Am the Wind, trans. Simon Stephens (2012).
Desse auga (2009). These Eyes
Jente i gul regnjakke (2010).
Kortar stykke (2011).
Hav (2014).
Tre librettoar (2015).
Slik var det (2020).
Sterk vind (2021).
I svarte skogen inne (2023).

Compilations in English

Plays One (2002). Someone Is Going to Come Home; The Name; The Guitar Man; The Child
Plays Two (2004). A Summer's Day; Dream of Autumn; Winter
Plays Three (2004). Mother and Child; Sleep My Baby Sleep; Afternoon; Beautiful; Death Variations
Plays Four (2005). And We'll Never Be Parted; The Son; Visits; Meanwhile the lights go down and everything becomes black
Plays Five (2011). Suzannah; Living Secretly; The Dead Dogs; A Red Butterfly's Wings; Warm; Telemakos; Sleep
Plays Six (2014). Rambuku; Freedom; Over There; These Eyes; Girl in Yellow Raincoat; Christmas Tree Song; Sea