Key takeaways:
- Jon Fosse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his works that “give voice to the unsayable.”
- Fosse has written some 40 plays as well as novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry and essays.
- Fosse is the first Norwegian to win the prize since Sigrid Undset in 1928.
On Thursday, Norwegian writer Jon Fosse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his works that “give voice to the unsayable.” Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel literature committee, said Fosse’s work is rooted “in the language and nature of his Norwegian background.”
Fosse, 64, has written some 40 plays as well as novels, short stories, children’s books, poetry and essays. His works have been performed widely in his home country and around the world.
In a statement released by his publishing house, Samlaget, Fosse said, “I see this as an award to the literature that first and foremost aims to be literature, without other considerations.”
Fosse is the latest in a long line of Norwegian authors to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, following in the footsteps of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun in 1920, and Sigrid Undset in 1928.
The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded annually to an author who has produced “in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” Fosse is the first Norwegian to win the prize since Undset in 1928.
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