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Jon Fosse

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Norwegian author, dramatist (born 1959)

Jon Fosse
BornJon Olav Fosse
(1959-09-29) 29 September 1959 (age 65)
Haugesund, Rogaland, Norway
Occupation
  • Playwright
  • novelist
  • poet
EducationUniversity of Bergen (BA)
Literary movementMinimalism
Notable awardsNobel Prize in Literature (2023)
Spouse
  • Bjørg Sissel ​ ​(m. 1980; div. 1992)​
  • Grethe Fatima Syéd ​ ​(m. 1993; div. 2009)​
  • Anna Fosse ​(m. 2011)​
Children6

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.

Biography

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 witnessed seeing a shimmering light and experiencing peace and beauty. Fosse recalls "I think this experience fundamentally changed me, and perhaps made me a writer. He started writing around the age of twelve, despite Fosse's claims that he was not very concerned with books. 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.

Recognition

Fosse is the most performed Norwegian playwright after Henrik Ibsen. His works are seen as a modern continuation of the tradition established by Henrik Ibsen in the 19th century. Fosse himself 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, Franz Kafka, William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, and the Bible.

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. This made him the first Nynorsk writer to receive the prize and the fourth Norwegian to win it, following Sigrid Undset, who won it in 1928.

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-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, radio and rarely listening to music. In his pursuit of solitude, Fosse sees writing as a confession and a prayer.

Awards and honours

Publications

Prose

  • Raudt, svart (1983). Red, Black
  • Stengd gitar (1985). Closed Guitar
  • Blod. Steinen er (1987). Blood. The Stone Is
  • Uendelig Seint (1989).
  • Naustet (1989). Boathouse, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (Dalkey Archive, 2017).
  • Kant (1990)
  • Flaskesamlaren (1991). The Bottle-Collector
  • Bly og vatn (1992). Lead and Water.
  • Dyrehagen Hardanger. (1993).
  • To forteljingar (1993). Two Stories
  • Prosa frå ein oppvekst (1994). Prose from a Childhood
  • Melancholia I (1995). Melancholy, trans. Grethe Kvernes and Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2006).
  • Nei å nei (1995).
  • Fy å fy (1997).
  • Melancholia II (1996). Melancholy II, trans. Eric Dickens (Dalkey Archive, 2014).
  • Du å du (1996).
  • Eldre kortare prosa med 7 bilete av Camilla Wærenskjold (1998). Older Shorter Prose with 7 Pictures of Camilla Wærenskjold
  • Morgon og kveld (2000). Morning and Evening, trans. Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2015).
  • Søster (2000).
  • Det er Ales (2004). Aliss at the Fire, trans. Damion Searls (Dalkey Archive, 2010).
  • Kant (2005).
  • Andvake (2007). Wakefulness
  • Spelejenta (2009).
  • Kortare prosa (2011). Shorter Prose
  • Olavs draumar (2012). Olav's Dreams
  • Kveldsvævd (2014). Weariness
  • Levande stein (2015).
  • Trilogien (2014). Trilogy, trans. May-Brit Akerholt (Dalkey Archive, 2016). Compiles three novellas: Wakefulness, Olav's Dreams and Weariness.
  • Det andre namnet – Septologien I-II (2019). The Other Name: Septology I-II, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2019).
  • Eg er ein annan – Septologien III-V (2020). I Is Another: Septology III-V, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2020).
  • Eit nytt namn – Septologien VI-VII (2021). A New Name: Septology VI-VII, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2021).
  • Septologien (2022).
  • Kvitleik (2023). A Shining, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2023).

Compilations in English

  • Scenes from a Childhood, trans. Damion Searls (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2018). Collects texts from various sources.
  • Melancholy I-II, trans. Damion Searls and Grethe Kvernes (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2023)

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

Poetry

  • Engel med vatn i augene (1986)
  • Hundens bevegelsar (1990)
  • Hund og engel (1992)
  • Dikt 1986–1992 (1995). Revidert samleutgåve
  • Nye dikt 1991–1994 (1997)
  • Dikt 1986–2001 (2001). Samla dikt. Lyrikklubben
  • Auge i vind (2003)
  • Dikt i samling (2009)
  • Songar (2009)
  • Stein til stein (2013)
  • Poesiar (2016)
  • Ro mitt Hav (2019)
  • Dikt i samling (2011)

Compilations in English

  • Poems (Shift Fox Press, 2014). Selection of poems, translated by May-Brit Akerholt.

Essays

  • Frå telling via showing til writing (1989)
  • Gnostiske essay (1999)
  • 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).

References

  1. Frank Johnsen/Bergens Tidende: -Eg skriv aldri sjølvbiografisk – Intervju med Jon Fosse – Aftenposten 4. november 2020
  2. ^ "Jon Fosse – "take it or leave it"". NRK. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Jon Fosse".
  4. NRK (19 August 2005). "Jon Fosse – «take it or leave it»". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  5. ^ Drangsholt, Janne Stigen; Rottem, Øystein; Surén, Odd Wilhelm; Allkunne (5 October 2023), "Jon Fosse", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved 5 October 2023
  6. "«Nokon kjem til å kome»: Mørk meditasjon over ensomheten". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). 10 September 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  7. ^ H.H. Andersson, Jon Fosse i teaterhistorien, kunstinstitusjonen og markedet, University of Oslo, 2003
  8. Bordemann, Suzanne (26 March 2012). "«Man må føre menneskeheten ut av fryktens og den tålmodige sløvhetens primitive stadier» – Om den tyskspråklige resepsjonen av Jon Fosses tidlige dramatikk". Norsk Litteraturvitenskapelig Tidsskrift. 1 (in Norwegian). 15: 46–59. doi:10.18261/ISSN1504-288X-2012-01-04. ISSN 0809-2044. Retrieved 5 October 2023. Både Fosses teater og postdramatiske teateruttrykk utfordrer representasjonsteaterets normer og konvensjoner ved å rette søkelyset mot selve persepsjonsprosessen. Når dramatiske konstituenter dekonstrueres, oppstår gjerne kollisjoner med rådende estetiske normer i teaterkritikken. Jeg skal gi noen eksempler på dette.
  9. "Hva er det med Jon Fosse?". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 8 May 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  10. Creamer, Ella (5 October 2023). "Jon Fosse wins the 2023 Nobel prize in literature". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  11. ^ Storfjell, Troy (2004). "Jon Fosse". In Thresher, Tanya (ed.). Dictionary of Literary Biography: Twentieth-Century Norwegian Writers. Vol. 297. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. pp. 95–101. ISBN 0-7876-6834-6.
  12. "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)
  13. Power, Chris (28 October 2023). "Nobel prize winner Jon Fosse: 'It took years before I dared to write again'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  14. ^ Merve Enre (13 November 2022). "Jon Fosse's Search for Peace". The New Yorker. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  15. "Winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature announced". The Independent. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  16. "What's on my bookshelf: Jon Fosse | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  17. ^ Fransk heder til Fosse, nrk.no.
  18. "Top 100 living geniuses". Telegraph.co.uk. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  19. "Winje Agency". Winje Agency. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  20. ^ Kvamme, Kjell (16 November 2013). "Jon Fosse er blitt katolikk: Som å kome heim". Vårt Land (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  21. NRK (27 October 2015). "Fosse vant Nordisk råds litteraturpris". NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  22. "Iranian actor Kianian to perform in Fosse play". Mehr News Agency. 4 November 2006. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  23. Behnegarsoft.com (1 January 2011). "IBNA – 2nd stage shortlisted works of Dramatic Arts". Iran's Book News Agency (IBNA). Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  24. "Sarah Cameron Sunde | Translating + Oslo Elsewhere". Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  25. Gates, Anita (17 June 2004). "THEATER IN REVIEW; A Man, a Woman and a Baby, Locked in a Northern Nightmare". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  26. Gates, Anita (21 August 2006). "Young Suicide in the Eyes of Norwegian Playwrights Old and New, Ibsen and Non-Ibsen". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  27. Willis, Paul (12 September 2008). "As Few Words as Possible Sarah Cameron Sunde on Jon Fosse". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  28. Brantley, Ben (26 October 2012). "Tides Come and Go, but She Won't". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  29. Kozinn, Allan (21 October 2012). "A Lifetime of Regret, Born in a Moment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  30. "Stage review: 'Dream of Autumn' a surreal journey". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  31. Knight, Lucy (7 April 2022). "International Booker prize shortlist delivers 'awe and exhilaration'". The Guardian.
  32. Varno, David (1 February 2023). "NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR PUBLISHING YEAR 2022". National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  33. ^ Marshall, Alex (5 October 2023). "Nobel Prize in Literature: Jon Fosse Is the 2023 Laureate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  34. Oltermann, Philip (5 October 2023). "Jon Fosse's Nobel prize announces his overdue arrival on the global stage". The Guardian.
  35. Keyton, David. "Norwegian author Jon Fosse wins the Nobel Prize in literature". ABC News. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  36. Drangsholt, Janne Stigen; Rottem, Øystein; Surén, Odd Wilhelm (5 October 2023). "Jon Fosse". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian).
  37. "Syéd-familien". Dag og Tid (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 20 April 2018.
  38. news, C. N. E. "Nobel Prize author says faith in God inspires his writing". cne.news. Retrieved 3 January 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  39. ^ "Nynorsk litteraturpris". Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  40. "Jon Fosse (NORWAY)". AO International. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  41. Store norske leksikon (2005–2007). "Doblougprisen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 6 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  42. "Tildelinger av ordener og medaljer" (in Norwegian). Det norske kongehus. Fosse, Jon Olav. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  43. "Jon Fosse prisas av Svenska Akademien". nummer.se (in Swedish). 13 March 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  44. "Fosse får Akademiens nordiska pris". DN.se (in Swedish). 13 March 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  45. "2007 Archive". Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  46. "Jon Fosse". internationalibsenaward.com. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  47. "Laureate 2014 (Press Release)" (PDF). City of Strasbourg. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  48. "Prize ceremony 2015". norden.org. 2013. doi:10.6027/TN2013-570. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  49. Drangsholt, Jamme (5 October 2023). "Jon Fosse". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  50. ^ "Biobibliography". NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.

External links

Awards
Preceded byEdith Roger Recipient of the Norsk kulturråds ærespris
2003 		Succeeded byJan Garbarek
Jon Fosse
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