Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse awarded Nobel Prize in literature

Fosse's work is characterized by its focus on form rather than content, where the unspoken often holds more significance than the spoken

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FILE - Jon Fosse, author of shortlisted novel 'A New Name: Septology VI-VII', poses ahead of the 2022 International Booker Prize ceremony in London, UK.
FILE - Jon Fosse, author of shortlisted novel 'A New Name: Septology VI-VII', poses ahead of the 2022 International Booker Prize ceremony in London, UK.AP Photo/David Cliff, File

The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse, renowned for his innovative plays and prose that convey the ineffable, the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday.

Fosse's work is characterized by its focus on form rather than content, where the unspoken often holds more significance than the spoken. 

Frequently likened to Samuel Beckett, Fosse employs a minimalist style that relies on straightforward language, using rhythm, melody, and silence to convey his message.

Among his notable works are "Boathouse" (1989), which received critical acclaim, and "Melancholy" I and II (1995-1996). Fosse, 64, had been a prominent figure in Nobel speculations for several years.

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The Swedish Academy praised his extensive body of work, which spans various genres, including plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children's books, and translations. Fosse's writings are primarily in Norwegian Nynorsk, one of Norway's written forms of language.

While he is now one of the most frequently performed playwrights worldwide, his skills as a prose writer have also gained increasing recognition.

The Nobel Prize includes a medal and a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor, approximately $1 million.

Jonathan NACKSTRAND (AFP)
Nobel prize laureates, royals and guests attend the 2017 Nobel Banquet for the laureates in medicine, chemistry, physics, literature and economics in Stockholm last December 10Jonathan NACKSTRAND (AFP)

Last year's Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to French feminist icon Annie Ernaux, celebrated for her deceptively straightforward novels rooted in personal experiences of class and gender.

The Swedish Academy has faced criticism for its historical tendency to favor Western white male authors among its laureates. However, it has initiated significant reforms since the 2018 #MeToo scandal, committing to a more globally diverse and gender-balanced selection of literary honorees.

Since the scandal, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to three women—Annie Ernaux, US poet Louise Gluck, and Poland's Olga Tokarczuk—and three men—Austrian author Peter Handke, Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Jon Fosse.

ISSEI KATO (POOL/AFP/File)
King Carl XVI Gustaf, who is usually reserved on public affairs, told the daily Dagens Nyheter in June 2016 that the proposed Nobel centre building would be "gigantic" and "too dominant"ISSEI KATO (POOL/AFP/File)

Jon Fosse will receive the Nobel Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf during a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10, coinciding with the anniversary of scientist Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.

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