Jon Fosse

Jon Fosse (born 1959) is the Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature 2023.

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Jon Fosse. Photo: Agnete Brun

Biography

Jon Fosse was born 1959 in Haugesund on the Norwegian west coast. His immense œuvre written in Nynorsk and spanning a variety of genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations. While he is today one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world, he has also become increasingly recognized for his prose.

Bibliography

The National Library of Norway has a unique Fosse Bibliography. The bibliography offers references to Jon Fosse’s works in original and in translation, journal articles and book chapters, theatre scripts, theatre programs, adaptations based on Fosse’s works, as well as Fosse’s translations and re-writings of other writers’ works.

Authorship

Jon Fosse, born in 1959, is widely considered one of the most important writers of our time. For almost forty years he has written novels, plays, poems, stories, essays, and children’s books. His award-winning work has been translated into more than fifty languages, and his plays have been staged over a thousand times all over the world.

The Government Honours Jon Fosse

In honour of Jon Fosse, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Norwegian government has asked the National Library of Norway to arrange an annual Fosse Lecture and an annual Fosse Prize for Translators. Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit is patron of both the Fosse Lecture and the Fosse Prize for Translators.

The Fosse Prize for Translators and the Fosse Lecture

The French philosopher and theologian Jean-Luc Marion has been invited to give the first Fosse Lecture, and the German translator Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel has been awarded the Fosse Prize for Translators in 2025. The Fosse Prize will be among the largest of its kind in the world.
At the invitation of the Royal House of Norway, the Fosse Lecture and the award ceremony for the Fosse Prize will take place at the Royal Palace on Thursday 24 April 2025.

Jon Fosse in Translation

Jon Fosse’s award-winning work has been translated into more than fifty languages, and many of these are published through translation subsidies from NORLA.
We have collected the book covers of these translations on our Flickr profile.

Where to start reading Fosse?

With a myriad of Fosse titles to choose from, in all genres, we are happy to share a list of titles recommended by his Norwegian publishing house, Det norske Samlaget.

Plays

In 1994, on the 24th of February, the National Stage in Bergen staged the first ever performance of a Jon Fosse play. Thirty years later, his works have been seen in more than 900 stage productions across the world.

Nynorsk Explained

Jon Fosse is the first ever writer of Nynorsk to become a Nobel Prize Laureate in literature. But what is Nynorsk (New Norwegian)?

New column: Why I translate Fosse

Jon Fosse’s works are available for readers and audiences all over the world. In NORLA, we want to draw attention to some of the around fifty translators who have made that possible. We are proud to present to you our new column “Why I Translate Fosse”!

Nobel Prize lecture delivered by Jon Fosse

On Thursday December 7th, Jon Fosse, The Nobel Prize laureate in literature 2023, delivered his Nobel Prize lecture at the premises of the Swedish Academy in Börshuset, Gamla stan in Stockhom.
The lecture was held in Nynorsk.

Fans on Fosse

Jon Fosse’s Norwegian publishing house, Det norske Samlaget, has initiated a great series in social media with fans of Fosse sharing their favourite works.
We at NORLA were happy to share some of these posts in English, through our social media.

Jon Fosse Word by Word

In Bergen, Jon Fosse was celebrated with the «Jon Fosse Word by Word» performance, in which all Fosse’s plays (!) were read in one go, in December 2023. The performance was played in front of a live audience, and at the same time broadcast on NRK (The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation). 41 plays, 40 actors and a 40-hour television broadcast!

Interviews

There are of course a wealth of interviews with Jon Fosse available. We have chosen a few favourites.