Jon Fosse 鈥擜FP
STOCKHOLM鈥擭orwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday 鈥渇or his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable,鈥� the award-giving body said.
Born in 1959 in Haugesund on Norway鈥檚 west coast, Fosse is best known for his dramas, though his writing spans poetry, essays, children鈥檚 books and translations.
His work 鈥渢ouches on the deepest feelings that you have, anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death,鈥� Swedish Academy member Anders Olsson said.
鈥淚t has a sort of universal impact of everything that he writes. And it doesn鈥檛 matter if it is drama, poetry or prose, it the same kind of appeal of basic humanism,鈥� Olsson said.
Fosse, seen as a longtime contender for the prize and among this year鈥檚 favorites in the betting odds, said he was 鈥渙verwhelmed and somewhat frightened鈥� by the award.
鈥淚 see this as an award to the literature that first and foremost aims to be literature, without other considerations,鈥� he said in a statement.
4th from Norway
The 64-year-old is the fourth Norwegian and the first since 1928 to win the Nobel Prize for literature, this year worth 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million).
鈥淚 was surprised but at the same time, in a sense, I wasn鈥檛,鈥� he told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
鈥淚鈥檝e been part of the discussion for 10 years and have more or less carefully prepared myself for 10 years that it could happen.鈥�
There were now no more big prizes to win, he told Norwegian broadcaster TV2. 鈥淓verything will be downhill from now on.鈥�
Past winners of the literature prize include Colombia鈥檚 Gabriel Garcia Marquez and American John Steinbeck, alongside singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Britain鈥檚 World War II Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Breakthrough works
Fosse鈥檚 European breakthrough as a dramatist came with Claude R茅gy鈥檚 1999 Paris production of his 1996 play 鈥淣okon kjem til 氓 komme鈥� (鈥淪omeone is Going to Come鈥�).
His magnum opus in prose was the 鈥淪eptology鈥� series of three books divided into seven parts which he completed in 2021鈥斺�淒et andre namnet鈥� (鈥淭he Other Name鈥�-2019), 鈥淓g er ein annan鈥� (鈥淚 is Another-2020), and 鈥淓it nytt namn鈥� (鈥淎 New Name鈥�-2021).
鈥淭he work progresses seemingly endlessly and without sentence breaks, but it is formally held together by recurring themes and ritual gestures of prayer in a time span of seven days,鈥� the Academy鈥檚 Olsson said.
Fosse, writes in the least common of the two official versions of Norwegian. He said he regarded the award as a recognition of that tongue and the movement promoting it, and that he ultimately owed the prize to the language itself.
Nearly died at 7
Known as 鈥渘ew Norwegian鈥� and used by only about 10 percent of the population, Fosse鈥檚 version of the language was developed in the 19th century with rural dialects at its base, making it an alternative to the dominant use of Danish that followed from a 400-year union with Denmark.
鈥淚 started writing when I was 12 and the first book was published 40 years ago 鈥� I will keep writing, but I don鈥檛 plan to compete with myself,鈥� Fosse told Norway鈥檚 public broadcaster NRK.
Wearing a black leather jacket and sporting his trademark grey pony tail, Fosse said he would not attempt another work as extensive as the 鈥淪eptology鈥� and that he planned to celebrate 鈥渃almly, with the family. I鈥檒l try to enjoy it.鈥�
The author has said that an accident where he came close to dying at the age of 7 shaped him as a writer, opening his eyes to the spiritual dimension of life.
Fosse has also spoken extensively of his recovery from alcoholism and a struggle to overcome social anxiety, and the role played by religious faith.
鈥淚t鈥檚 possible to free oneself from alcoholism, but it鈥檚 hard to transition from a life governed by addiction to one led by something other than alcohol,鈥� Fosse said in a Norwegian Salvation Army interview in 2021.
鈥楥辞苍惫别谤蝉颈辞苍鈥�
鈥淢y conversion (to Catholicism) and the fact that I am a practicing Catholic, has helped me,鈥� Fosse said at the time.
According to his publisher, Fosse鈥檚 work has been translated into more than 40 languages, and there have been more than 1,000 different productions of his plays.
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Since 2011 Fosse has lived at the Grotto, an honorary residence on the premises of Oslo鈥檚 royal palace that has housed some of Norway鈥檚 foremost authors and composers in the last century.
Established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, the prizes for achievements in literature, science and peace have been awarded since 1901, becoming a career pinnacle in those fields.