Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to John Foss

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded. Norwegian writer Jon Foss, 64, “for his innovative plays and prose that give voice to the unspeakable,” the Nobel Prize winner wrote on X/Twitter.

Jon Fosse writes very concise novels in a style that has become known as “Fosse minimalism.”

The Norwegian playwright and novelist told Reuters that winning the Nobel Prize for Literature was both impressive and daunting. “I’m impressed and a little scared. I see this as a prize for literature that strives to be literature first and foremost, without any other considerations,” he said.

The author, who writes in the less widely spoken of the two official versions of Norwegian, said he sees the award as recognition of the language and the movement that promotes it.

“His enormous body of work, written in Norwegian and covering a wide range of genres, consists of a wide range of plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations. Although he is one of the best-represented playwrights in the world, he is also increasingly renowned for his prose,” reads the rationale for the award.

Many of his works have been published in Portugal, with particular attention paid to the work of Artistas Unidos, which has staged his plays since 2000, starting with Vai Vir Something, staged by Solveig Nordlund.

In Livrinhos de Teatro, published by Artistas Unidos and the publishing house Cotovia, published “A Noite Canta os seu Cantos”, “Inverno”, “Lilás”, “Press Conference and Other Traps” and “Sou o Vento/Sono/O Guitar”. Man”.

Among other titles, Cavalo de Ferro publishes Fosse’s prose, with a focus on Trilogy (2022) and Septology I-II (2022).

The Nobel Prize in Literature is a prize awarded annually since 1901 by the Swedish Academy to authors who have made significant contributions to the field of literature, and has a monetary value of more than 900 thousand euros.