In his youth, he played the guitar; now literature has become his music” – interview with Jon Fosse, the Nobel laureate in Literature.

Jon Fosse (born on September 29, 1959, in Haugesund, Norway) is one of the most prolific and acclaimed contemporary writers. As a translator and author of an impressive body of work, he has written poetry, essays, children’s books, novels, and plays performed on stages worldwide. In 1993, he wrote his first play (“Someone Is Going to Come”), and since then, he has published approximately thirty plays.

Some of his most well-known works include “A Summer Day,” “Winter,” and “I Am the Wind.” His dramatic oeuvre gained international success starting in the mid-1990s. His texts have been translated into over 50 languages, making Jon Fosse one of the most performed contemporary playwrights. After Henrik Ibsen, Jon Fosse is the most performed Norwegian playwright.

In 2023, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his innovative plays and prose that give voice to the ineffable.” At the 31st edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, which takes place between June 21 and 30, Jon Fosse will receive a star on the Walk of Fame in the Cetății Park.

Anca Mureșan: How does a usual day in your life look like? 

Jon Fosse: After I was awarded the Nobel prize I had to answer lots of emails, and decline hundreds of invitations. In-between I have found the time to translate Gerald Murnane’s novel Barley Patch.

Do you write every day, do you have a ”discipline” or some habits, perhaps rituals when you write??

Jon Fosse: I write in certain periods. I always start writing early in the morning with as little disturbance between sleep and writing as possible. In my early writing days I used to write at around 9, but for some years I have started writing at 5 in the morning and have written until 9. 

I usually take pauses between longer pieces of writing, and then I translate. Luckily I had planned to translate this winter, and have managed to translate a bit. But it would have been impossible to find time for the concentration needed for my own writing.

You are one of the most performed Norwegian playwrights around the world (in Romania, Radu Afrim has directed some of your plays), but you write in Nynorsk, a minority language. Why did you choose to write in Nynorsk? 

Jon Fosse: We have two versions of Norwegian, they are completely mutually understandable, as are all the languages in Scandinavia. Nynorsk is simply my language, the language I was taught in school. Besides that I find it to be a beautiful language.

You are often compared to Samuel Beckett and your work is decribed as minimalist, simple, sometimes monotonous and full of pauses and repetions. The jury’s decision to award you the Nobel Prize was: ”for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unspeakable”. 

Do you think this decription and the jury’s motivation are accurate? Is it sometimes easier to write about something than to speak of it ?

Jon Fosse: When I was young I read a lot of Beckett. And I was afraid of his influence, so I called my first play Someone Is Going To Come! By now I am not at all afraid of his influence, there are similarities, but the difference is much more significant.

Yes, I feel the description given by the jury is quite accurate, and I am thankful for it.

”Where to start with Jon Fosse”. This is the title of an article published by The Guardian after you won The Nobel Prize for Literature. The entry point is the collection ”Scenes from a Childhood”, choosen as an introduction to the central themes of your work. If you read only one is recomended ”Aliss at the Fire” and if you’re in a rush, the article recommends reading ”The Boathouse”. Do you agree with this selection?

In other words: if someone reads your work for the very first time, which text should they begin with ? 

Jon Fosse: My advice would be to read Morning and Evening firstly. And then A Shining. And from the plays perhaps  –   I am the Wind.

In 2007, The Telegraph made a top 100 of living geniuses and you made this list. In 2023, you received the Nobel Prize for Literature, which is not a surprise, because you have been on that list for few years before you won. Now, in 2024, you receive a star on the Walk of Fame in Sibiu, at the International Theatre Festival. The practice of awarding stars is one of openness towards the general public and a recognition of the value of contemporary artists. 

Jon Fosse: I am very thankful for this star on the Sibiu Walk of Fame!

How do you perceive the connection between the public, the society in general and writers? What is the role of an artist, of his voice in times like these? 

Jon Fosse: To say what cannot be said in any other way other than literature or art can say it.

Do you feel more responsible now than before you became famous, before winning The Nobel Prize?

Jon Fosse: I haven’t thought about it like that. But perhaps, since you mentioned it, I feel a greater sense of responsibility now.

You love music, you played in a band. Do you still listen to music (what kind of music) and who is your favourite guitarist? 

Jon Fosse: I stopped listening to music many years ago, and I also stopped playing myself. If I listen to music, I go to a concert and then I prefer to listen to Bach. Literature has become my music.

Cover photo: Agnete Brun