Jon Fosse

Jon Olav Fosse (Norwegian: [ˈjʊ̀nː ˈfɔ̂sːə]; 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. 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. 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.
Jon Fosse was born in 1959 in Haugesund, Norway, and grew up in Strandebarm. His family were Quakers and Pietists, which he credits with shaping his spiritual views. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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 Norwegian arts 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 October 2023, Fosse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for "his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable". 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.
Jon 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".
Jon 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."
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-Norwegian 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 atheist 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.
Compilations in English
Compilations in English
Compilations in English