- Jon Fosse wins Nobel Literature
- Minimalistic, innovative prose
- Literary recognition and controversies
The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Jon Fosse of Norway on Thursday. His plays have received global acclaim, surpassing those of any other contemporary playwright.
His body of work is at times compared to that of Samuel Beckett, another Nobel laureate, due to its minimalistic nature, relying on straightforward language to convey its message through rhythm, melody, and silence.
The 64-year-old was honoured by the Swedish Academy “for his innovative prose and plays that give voice to the unspeakable.”
In Fosse’s writing, form often triumphs over content, as the omissions of expression frequently provide more insight than explicit content.
“I am appreciative and overwhelmed. This is an honour bestowed upon literature that exists solely for the purpose of being literature, devoid of any other motivations,” Fosse said in a statement.
He told NRK that he was “not entirely surprised but also not astonished” by years of Nobel rumours.
“Don’t miss out! Grab your free shares of Webull UK today!”
According to Anders Olsson, the chairman of the Nobel committee, Fosse’s “ability to evoke… loss of orientation and how, paradoxically, this can provide access to a more profound experience, close to divinity,” earned him the reputation of an innovator.
“Boathouse” (1989), praised by critics, and “Melancholy” I and II (1995-1996) are among his most significant works.
The jury noted that Fosse’s oeuvre, composed in Norwegian Nynorsk, one of Norway’s written language forms, comprises plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books, and translations, among other disciplines.
“Although he is currently one of the most globally acclaimed playwrights, his prose has also gained increasing recognition,” the statement continued.
Fosse, from the western Norwegian fjords, wears a black coat and a few days’ beard.
Although his family adhered to a strict form of Lutheranism, he expressed his defiance by joining a band and avowing himself an agnostic.
In 2013, he eventually converted to Catholicism.
After a year of studying literature, he published his debut novel, “Red, Black,” in 1983. The book exhibits a cyclical temporal and perspective structure.
His most recent work, “Septology,” a semi-autobiographical magnum opus consisting of seven segments divided into three volumes and centred on a man who encounters another version of himself, spans 1,250 pages without a single full stop.
The third volume was included on the International Booker Prize shortlist for 2022. During the early 1990s, Fosse faced financial difficulties and was subsequently tasked with writing the prologue of a play.
In an interview with a French theatre website, he stated, “I knew, I felt, that this type of writing was made for me.”
International Breakthrough
His Paris staging of “Someone is Going to Come” in 1999 was his international breakthrough. He composed it for the sheer joy of it.
“With its themes of dreadful anticipation and crippling jealousy, Fosse’s singularity is already apparent in this early work,” Olsson stated. “Through his radical reduction of language and dramatic action, he reveals the underlying anxiety and ambivalence of the human condition.”
The following year, in 1994, Fosse received worldwide recognition for his production titled “And We’ll Never be Parted.”
His Norwegian publisher, Samlaget, claims that his plays have been performed in over a thousand different locations worldwide.
He has had his work translated into approximately fifty languages.
“Regarding characters, I do not compose in the conventional sense of the term. In 2003, Fosse stated to the French newspaper Le Monde, “I write about humanity.”
The Swedish Academy has faced persistent criticism regarding its tendency to select works predominantly written by Western white males.
Since the #MeToo scandal in 2018, significant reforms have been implemented with the aim of establishing a literature prize that is both gender-neutral and more inclusive on a global scale.
Three women—France’s Annie Ernaux, the United States poet Louise Gluck, and Poland’s Olga Tokarczuk—and three men—Austrian author Peter Handke, Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Fosse—have been honoured since the controversy.
