Norwegian Writer Jon Fosse Wins Nobel Literature Prize
Norwegian author, playwright, and poet Jon Olav Fosse has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Anders Olsson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee at The Swedish Academy, cited Fosse’s innovative plays and prose, which give voice to the unsayable, as the reason for this esteemed recognition. Upon hearing the news, Fosse responded with a statement expressing feeling “overwhelmed and somewhat frightened” by the win. He emphasized that the award acknowledges his dedication to creating literature without compromising its artistic integrity. Born in 1959 in Haugesund on the Norwegian west coast, Jon Fosse has crafted a vast body of work in Nynorsk, spanning a wide range of genres, including plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books, and translations. Although renowned as one of the most widely performed playwrights globally, Fosse’s acclaim has been steadily growing in the realm of prose. Fosse’s European breakthrough in the realm of drama came with Claude Régy’s 1999 Pa