Nobel Literature Prize 2023: Norway’s Jon Fosse honoured for ‘giving voice to the unsayable’
- Often compared to Samuel Beckett, Fosse’s work is minimalistic, relying on simple language which delivers its message through rhythm, melody and silence
- Fosse writes in the least common of the 2 official versions of Norwegian, known as ‘new Norwegian’ and used by only 10 per cent of the country’s population
This year’s Nobel Literature Prize has been awarded to Norway’s Jon Fosse for his “innovative plays and prose, which give voice to the unsayable,” according to the Swedish Academy.
His writing is defined more by form than content, where what is not said is often more revealing than what is.
Often compared to Samuel Beckett, Fosse’s work is minimalistic, relying on simple language which delivers its message through rhythm, melody and silence.
His major works include Boathouse (1989), which was well-received by critics, and Melancholy I and II (1995-1996).
“I am overwhelmed, and somewhat frightened. I see this as an award to the literature that first and foremost aims to be literature, without other considerations,” Fosse, who is also a poet, said in a statement.
Fosse, 64, who writes in the least common of the two official versions of Norwegian, said he regarded the award as a recognition of this language and the movement promoting it, and that he ultimately owed the prize to the language itself.