Biobibliography
English
English [pdf]
Swedish
Swedish [pdf]
Biobibliography
Jon Fosse was born 1959 in Haugesund on the Norwegian west coast. His immense œuvre written in Nynorsk and spanning a variety of genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, poetry collections, essays, children’s books and translations. While he is today one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world, he has also become increasingly recognized for his prose. His debut novel Raudt, svart 1983, as rebellious as it was emotionally raw, broached the theme of suicide and, in many ways, set the tone for his later work.
Fosse’s European breakthrough as a dramatist came with Claude Régy’s 1999 Paris production of his play Nokon kjem til å komme (1996; Someone Is Going to Come, 2002). Even in this early piece, with its themes of fearful anticipation and crippling jealousy, Fosse’s singularity is fully evident. In his radical reduction of language and dramatic action, he expresses the most powerful human emotions of anxiety and powerlessness in the simplest everyday terms. It is through this ability to evoke man’s loss of orientation, and how this paradoxically can provide access to a deeper experience close to divinity, that he has come to be regarded as a major innovator in contemporary theatre.
In common with his great precursor in Nynorsk literature Tarjei Vesaas, Fosse combines strong local ties, both linguistic and geographic, with modernist artistic techniques. He includes in his Wahlverwandschaften such names as Samuel Beckett, Thomas Bernhard and Georg Trakl. While Fosse shares the negative outlook of his predecessors, his particular gnostic vision cannot be said to result in a nihilistic contempt of the world. Indeed, there is great warmth and humour in his work, and a naïve vulnerability to his stark images of human experience.
In his second novel Stengd gitar (1985), Fosse presents us with a harrowing variation on one of his major themes, the critical moment of irresolution. A young mother leaves her flat to throw rubbish down the chute but locks herself out, with her baby still inside. Needing to go and seek help, she is unable to do so since she cannot abandon her child. While she finds herself, in Kafkaesque terms, ‘before the law’, the difference is clear: Fosse presents everyday situations that are instantly recognizable from our own lives. As with his first book, the novel is heavily pared down to a style that has come to be known as ‘Fosse minimalism’. At the same time, there is a sense of trepidation and a powerful ambivalence. This later comes to feature in his dramatic work, in which he is able to make use of pauses and interruptions to express this uncertainty – and moreover charge them with emotion. In his plays, we are confronted with words or acts that appear incomplete, a lack of resolution that continues to preoccupy our minds. The play Natta syng sine songar (1998; Nightsongs, 2002) represents a drawn-out yet unresolved quandary in which the woman’s impulse to go off with a new man is constantly opposed by a counter-impulse – a ‘yes’ qualified with the keyword ‘but’. The man she has abandoned ends up taking his own life, while her new beau disappears from sight. It is no doubt Fosse’s courage in opening himself up to the uncertainties and anxieties of everyday life that lies behind the extraordinary recognition he has received among the general public.
From the very beginning of the play Namnet from 1995 (The Name, 2002), we are presented with an emotionally charged everyday situation. A girl, young and pregnant, is waiting for the father of the unborn child, who has been delayed. The tension is immediately built up here due to this sense of uncertainty and its resulting fragmentary sentences. These disruptions moreover create a gulf between the girl’s longing for a new life with her child and her anxiety that she has been abandoned by the father.
Something similar occurs in the heart-rending work Dødsvariasjonar (2002; Death Variations, 2004), a one-act play about a girl who commits suicide, told backwards from the time of her death. It is written in short, interrupted locutions delivered by six nameless characters from different generations, both alive and dead. The piece ends with the daughter’s deeply moving speech, delivered from the other side of the grave, in which she expresses a fundamental uncertainty as to whether her decision to take her own life was the correct one.
In Skuggar (2007), Fosse stages a series of reunions during which the same simple phrases are repeated with an explicit ambiguity: ‘No, of course / That’s just what you say when you meet someone’. As a dramatist, Fosse generally respects unity of place while disrupting unity of time. In fact, the place where the nameless characters meet after many years is both unknown to them and rather disconcerting. This timeless setting of Fosse’s own creation provides an emblematic backdrop for his dramatic encounters. In his earlier play Draum om hausten (1999; Dream of Autumn, 2004), he presents us with a masterly representation of multi-layered time. The scene here is a cemetery where a man – coincidentally, it seems – meets a woman. In fact they have spent their lives together, a shared experience filled with love, false steps and unrealized dreams. Also in this piece, different time layers in which the demons of the past haunt the living are almost seamlessly intertwined.
A notable example of his early prose is the short novel Morgon og kveld from 2000 (Morning and Evening, 2015). Written in the midst of an intense period of dramatic output, it may well be his most hopeful work. One morning, the elderly protagonist Johannes’s perception of reality begins to dissolve in an uncanny fashion, and we understand that he is going to die. And yet, there is, both in this process and following his death, a tone of reconciliation – although questions that arise in the hinterland between life and death remain unresolved. Along with its pauses, interruptions and negations, such questions are profoundly characteristic of Fosse’s language. His 2004 novel Det er Ales (Aliss at the Fire, 2010), includes all of 200 questions in the space of only 70 pages.
A central prose work is Trilogien (Trilogy, 2016), consisting of Andvake (2007), Olavs Draumar (2012) and Kveldsvævd (2014). A cruel saga of love and violence with strong Biblical allusions, it is set in the barren coastal landscape where almost all of Fosse’s fiction takes place. For this highly dramatic and tautly crafted tale, Fosse was awarded the 2015 Nordic Council Literature Prize.
Fosse’s magnum opus in prose, however, remains the late Septology he completed in 2021: Det andre namnet (2019; The Other Name, 2020), Eg er ein annan (2020; I is Another, 2020) and Eit nytt namn (2021; A New Name, 2021). Extending to 1250 pages, the novel is written in the form of a monologue in which an elderly artist speaks to himself as another person. The work progresses seemingly endlessly and without sentence breaks, but is formally held together by repetitions, recurring themes and a fixed time span of seven days. Each of its parts opens with the same phrase and concludes with the same prayer to God.
The first section of the novel addresses the painting that Asle, the narrator, has been unable to complete but which is nevertheless dearest to him. This depicts two strokes, one purple and the other brown, in the form of a diagonal cross, the style therefore appearing abstract. It is as if this opening phrase draws together the different time layers of the work into a single infinite present. Asle’s painting becomes an icon, its emblem of a cross indicating the central theme of death.
There is moreover a dominant doppelgänger motif inscribed in the painted cross. In the opening section of the novel, we are allowed access to Asle’s thoughts as he wanders around the city attempting to rescue his friend and namesake Asle from dying in a snow drift. This other Asle appears as an unhappy, alcoholic version of the Christian artist of the same name, the former possible to interpret as the brown stroke in the painting and the latter as the purple, their fates crossed at the moment of death. The septology is moreover not only Asle’s attempt at reconciliation with his own fate, it is also an elegy through which he mourns the premature passing of his wife, as well as a Künstlerroman dealing with his rather less than successful career as an artist. Ultimately, he is unable to tear himself away from the painting: should he even paint over it in white?
While, in the short play Slik var det (2020), something similar occurs, this time the aging painter’s monologue is only around thirty pages long. This variation on a theme demonstrates Fosse’s consistency regardless of genre. The motif of the wanderer recurs in the play I svarte skogen inne (2023), where a man who has lost all ability to navigate, in a fit of delirium, drives his car into the darkness and disappears. Another variation on the same motif occurs in Kvitleik (2023; A Shining, 2023). Once again, it is the human condition that is Fosse’s central theme, irrespective of genre.
In Sterk vind (2021), referred to as ‘a dramatic poem’, Fosse’s increasing use of imagery and symbolism in his plays becomes apparent. From as far back as the 1986 publication of his first poetry collection Engel med vatn i augene, lyrical language has always served as a great resource in his writing. The recent edition of his collected poetry, Dikt i samling (2021), testifies to the important role poetry has played for him over the years in providing the basis for his elementary diction and sense of the limits of language. Interestingly, Fosse has, in recent years, added to his long list of translations into Nynorsk two modern, lyrical classics: Georg Trakl’s Sebastian i draum (2019) and Rainer Maria Rilke’s Duino-elegiar (2022).
Anders Olsson
Chairman of the Nobel Committee
The Swedish Academy
Bibliography – a selection
Works in Norwegian
Prose
Raudt, svart : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1983
Stengd gitar : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1985
Blod. Steinen er : forteljing. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1987
Frå telling via showing til writing : essays. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1989
Uendelig seint / medforfatter Alf-Kaare Berg. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1989
Naustet : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1989
Kant / illustratør Roj Friberg. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1990
Flaskesamlaren : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1991
Bly og vatn : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1992
Dyrehagen Hardanger. – Oslo : Samlaget 1993
To forteljingar. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1993
Vått og svart / illustratør Akin Düzakin. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1994
Prosa frå ein oppvekst : kortprosa. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1994
Melancholia I : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1995
Nei å nei : hundemanuskripta 1. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1995
Melancholia II : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1996
Du å du : hundemanuskripta 2. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1996
Fy å fy : hundemanuskripta 3. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1997
Eldre kortare prosa / illustratør Camilla Wærenskjold. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1998
Gnostiske essay. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1999
Morgon og kveld : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2000
Søster / illustratør Leong Vá. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2000
Det er Ales : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2004
Kant / illustratør Akin Duzakin. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2005
Andvake : forteljing. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2007
Spelejenta / illustratør Øyvind Torseter. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Essay. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2011 [Innhold: Frå telling via showing til writing (1989) og
Gnostiske essay (1999)]
Kortare prosa. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2011 [Eldre kortare prosa (1998), To forteljingar (1993) og Prosa frå ein oppvekst (1994). I tillegg tre tekstar som ikkje har vore publisert i bok før.]
Olavs draumar : forteljing. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2012
Kveldsvævd : forteljing. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014
Når ein engel går gjennom scenen og andre essay. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014
Trilogien. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014 [Innhold: Andvake ; Olavs draumar ; Kveldsvævd. 1. utg. henholdsvis 2007, 2012 og 2014]
Levande stein : kortare prosa og ei hymne. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2015
Hundemanuskripta. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2018 [Nei å nei, Du å du, Fy å fy]
Det andre namnet : roman. Septologien I–II. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2019
Eg er ein annan : roman. Septologien III–V. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2020
Eit nytt namn : roman. Septologien VI–VII. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2021
Septologien : roman. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2022
Kvitleik : forteljing. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2023
Plays
Og aldri skal vi skiljast : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1994
Namnet : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1995
Nokon kjem til å komme : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1996
Barnet ; Mor og barn ; Sonen : tre skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1997
Gitarmannen : monolog / utsendt som julehilsen fra forlaget. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1997
Natta syng sine songar ; Ein sommars dag : to skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1998
Draum om hausten : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1999
Teaterstykke 1. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1999. [Nokon kjem til å komme ; Og aldri skal vi skiljast ; Namnet ; Barnet ; Mor og barn ; Sonen ; Natta syng sine songar]
Besøk ; Vinter ; Ettermiddag : tre skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2000
Vakkert : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2001
Teaterstykke 2. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2001 [Ein sommars dag ; Draum om hausten ; Medan lyset går ned og alt blir svart ; Besøk ; Sov du vesle barnet mitt ; Vinter ; Ettermiddag]
Dødsvariasjonar : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2002
Jenta i sofaen : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2003
Lilla ; Suzannah : to skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2004
Teaterstykke 3. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2005 [Gitarmannen ; Dei døde hundane ; Sa ka la ; Vakkert ; Dødsvariasjoner ; Jenta i sofaen ; Lilla ; Suzannah]
Dei døde hundane ; Sa ka la : to skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2005
Svevn ; Varmt : to skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2006
Rambuku ; Skuggar : to skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2007
Eg er vinden : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2008
Desse auga : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Teaterstykke 4. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009 [Dei døde hundane ; Sa ka la ; Svevn ; Varmt ; Rambuku ; Skuggar ; Eg er vinden]
Jente i gul regnjakke : eit bilete. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2010
Kortare stykke. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2011
Hav : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014
Tre librettoar. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2015 [Melancholia ; For seint ; Morgon og kveld]
Teaterstykke 5. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2016 [Jente i gul regnjakke ; Hav ; Desse auga ; Leve hemmeleg ; Ein raud sommarfugls vengjer ; Telemakos ; Fridom ; Der borte ; Juletresong ; Melancholia ; For seint ; Morgon og kveld]
Fem teaterstykke / innleiing ved Jon Fosse ; føreord ved Stina Ekblad. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2019 [Nokon kjem til å kome ; Namnet ; Draum om hausten ; Svevn ; Eg er vinden]
Slik var det : monolog. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2020
Sterk vind : eit scenisk dikt. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2021
I svarte skogen inne : skodespel. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2023
Poetry
Engel med vatn i augene. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1986
Hundens bevegelsar : dikt. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1990
Hund og engel : dikt. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1992
Dikt 1986–1992. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1995
Nye dikt 1991–1994. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1997
Dikt : 1986–2000 / etterord av Tom Egil Hverven. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2001
Auge i vind : dikt. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2003
Dikt i samling / etterord av Kristina Lugn ; diktregister. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Songar. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Stein til stein : 39 dikt og 1 salme. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2013
Poesiar : etter Henrik Wergeland : dikt. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2016
Ro mitt hav : dikt i utval ved Anne Marit Jacobsen. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2019
Dikt i samling. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2021
Other
Olav H. Hauges poetikk / ved Jon Fosse. Monografi. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1993
Poetisk modernisme / redaktør: Jon Fosse. Antologi. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1995
Bernhard, Thomas, Ritter, Dene, Voss / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1997
Broch, Hermann, Frøken Zerline / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 1998
Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, Angsten et sjela / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2000
Norén, Lars, November / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2000
Pinter, Harold, Kjøkkenheisen ; Landskap ; Stille ; Natt ; Ingenmannsland ; Av jord er du komen / oversetter: Jon Fosse, Bjørn Endreson og Einar Økland. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2001
Harrower, David, Knivar i høner / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2002
Bernhard, Thomas, Ved målet / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2003
Motton, Gregory, Den største diamanten i verda : skodespel/ oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2006
Kristof, Agota, Tvillingar / oversetter: Jon Fosse. Basert på romanen Le grand cahier. – Det Norske Teatret, 2007
Fosse, Jon, Døden i Teben / bygger på Kong Oidipus, Oidipus i Kolonos og Antigone av Sofokles. – Det Norske Teatret, 2007
Kane, Sarah, Psykose 4.48 / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2008
Euripides, Ifigenia i Aulis / medforfatter, oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Nationaltheatret, 2009
Kane, Sarah, Fedras Kjӕrleik / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Marivaux, Pierre Carlet…, Kjӕrleiken overraskar igjen / medforfatter, oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2009
Racine, Jean, Andromake / medforfatter, oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2009
Bernhard, Thomas, Himmlers fødelsedag : før kvila / medforfatter, oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2012
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, Faust / versjon ved Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2013
Soga om Fridtjov den frøkne / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2013
Büchner, Georg, Woyzeck / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014
Fridtjov & Ingebjørg : soga om Fridtjov den frøkne / omsett og tillrettelagd for born av Jon Fosse ; illustrert av Oddvar Torsheim. – Leikanger : Skald, 2014
Stephens, Simon, Det merkelege som hende med hunden den natta / medforfatter Mark Haddon og Jon Fosse ; oversetter Jon Fosse. – Det Norske Teatret, 2014
Vilikovský, Pavel, Evig grønt er / oversetter: Anna Fosse, Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2014
Lysande mørker : ni songar / utgitt i forbindelse med Oslo domkirkes guttekors 30-årsjubileum 2015. – Oslo : Oslo domkirke, 2015
Nora : too late : opera i én akt / komponist: Du Wei ; librettist: Jon Fosse ; bygget over Henrik Ibsens Et dukkehjem. – Nordnorsk opera og symfoniorkester, 2015
Soga om Torstein Vikingsson / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2015
Handke, Peter, Dei vakre dagane i Aranjuez : ein sommardialog / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2016
Kafka, Franz, Forvandlinga og andre tekstar / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2016
Edda : den eldre Edda i ein scenisk versjon / ved Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2017
Handke, Peter, Stendig storm / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2017
Joyce, James, Dei døde / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2017
Beckett, Samuel, Fyrste kjærleik : og annan kortare prosa / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2018
Büchner, Georg, Lenz / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2018
Ibsen, Henrik, Peer Gynt : eit dramatisk dikt / til nynorsk ved Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2018
Trakl, Georg, Sebastian i draum / gjendikta av Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2019
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de, Den vesle prinsen / oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2020
Kafka, Franz, Prosessen/ oversetter: Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2022
Rilke, Rainer Maria, Duino-elegiar / attdikta av Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2022
World premieres
Og aldri skal vi skiljast / regi: Kai Johnsen. Den Nationale Scene, Bergen 25. februar 1994
Namnet. Den Nationale Scene, Bergen 27. mai 1995
Nokon kjem til å komme / regi: Otto Homlung. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 26. april 1996
Barnet / regi: Kai Johnsen. Nationaltheatret, Oslo 4. september 1996
Mor og barn ; Sonen. Nationaltheatret, Oslo 8. mars 1997
Natta syng sine songar / regi: Kai Johnsen. Rogaland Teater, Stavanger, 6. september 1997
Gitarrmannen, monolog, Teater Cinnober,Göteborg 1999
Ein sommars dag / regi: Gunnel Lindblom. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 9. januar 1999
Draum om hausten. Nationaltheatret, Oslo 8. september 1999
Medan lyset går ned og alt blir svart. Teater Ibsen, Skien 1999
Dors mon petit enfant. Théâtre de Folie Pensée, St. Brieuc, France, 2000
Besøk/ regi: Kai Johnsen. Den Nationale Scene, Bergen 2000
Vinter / regi: Marit Gronhaug. Rogaland Teater, Stavanger, 8. september 2000
Vakkert. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 28. mars 2001
Dødsvariasjonar. Nationaltheatret, Oslo 17. november 2001
Ettermiddag. Riksteatret, Sunndalsøra 20. februar 2002
The Girl on the Sofa. The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh on 12 August 2002
Nightsongs. The Royal Court Jerwood Theatre, London on 21 February 2002
Purple. The Royal Lyceum Youth Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh on 20 February 2003
Der er du : høyrespel. NRK radioteatret, 2004
Suzannah. NRK Fjernsynet, 2004
Dei døde hundane / regi: Fridtjov Såheim. Rogaland Teater, Stavanger 30. april 2004
Sa ka la. Aarhus Teater, Aarhus 2004
Svevn. Nationaltheatret, Amfiscenen under Samtidsfestivalen, Oslo 25. august 2005
Melancholia I, del 1 / forfatter: Morten Cranner. Nationaltheatret, Oslo 29. april 2005. Basert på versjonen av stykket som ble sendt i NRK radioteatret 18. april 2004
Rambuku/ regi: Kai Johnsen ; musikk: Henrik Hellstenius. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 2. februar 2006
Skuggar. Nationaltheatret under Festspillene i Bergen 30. mai 2006
Eg er vinden. Nationaltheatret under Festspillene i Bergen 24. mai 2007
Desse auga. Rogaland teater, Lundsneset 19. august 2008
Melancholia : en opera av Georg Friedrich Haas / libretto av Jon Fosse. Den Nye Opera, Bergen 2008
Ylajali / Etter Knut Hamsuns roman Sult. Rogaland teater, Stavanger 28. mars 2009
Ich bin der Wind. Deutsche Erstaaufführung. Stadttheater Konstanz 16. Oktober 2009
Dyrehagen Hardanger. Hordaland teater, Fana 6. mars 2012
Morgon og kveld. Norgespremiere: Nationaltheatret, Oslo 18. mars 2015
Morgen und Abend / Georg Friedrich Haas ; libretto by Jon Fosse. Opera performed at the Royal Opera House, London on 13 November 2015
Kant / komponist: Gunnar Edander ; medforfatter: Jon Fosse ; oversetter: Ingvild Marie Lien. Nordlands teaters Black Box 10. mars 2016
Morgen und Abend / Georg Friedrich Haas ; libretto von Jon Fosse. Deutsche Erstaufführing. Deutschen Oper Berlin am 29. April 2016
Edda konsept / regissert av Robert Wilson ; tekstar av Jon Fosse ; musikk av CocoRosie og Arvo Pärt. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 4. mars 2017
Det er Ales / ved Maria Sand. Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 28. januar 2017
Andvake : en triologi. Hordaland teater, Bergen 23. mai 2018
Leva hemmeleg.Det Norske Teatret, Oslo 8. september 2019
Slik var det. Den Nationale Scene, Bergen, 4. november 2020
Works in English
The Girl on the Sofa / in an English version by David Harrower ; from a literal translation by Neil Howard and Tonje Gotschalksen. – London : Oberon, 2002. – Translation of: Jenta i sofaen
Nightsongs / translated for the stage by playwright Gregory Motton. – London : Oberon, 2002. – Translation of: Natta syng sine songar
Plays One / translated by Gregory Motton and Louis Muinzer. – London : Oberon, 2002 [Includes Someone Is Going to Come, The Name, The Guitar Man, The Child]
Plays Two / translated by Louis Muinzer, Kim Dambaek and Ann Henning Jocelyn. – London : Oberon, 2004 [Includes A Summer’s Day, Dream of Autumn, and Winter]
Plays Three / translated by May-Brit Akerholt. – London : Oberon, 2004 [Includes Mother and Child, Sleep My Baby Sleep, Afternoon, Beautiful, and Death Variations]
Plays Four / translated by Louis Muinzer and May-Brit Akerholt. – London : Oberon, 2006 [Includes And We’ll Never Be Parted, The Son, Visits, and Meanwhile the Lights Go Down and Everything Becomes Black]
Melancholy I / translation by Grethe Kvernes and Damion Searls. – Rochester : Dalkey Archive Press, 2006. – Translation of: Melancholia I
Aliss at the Fire / translated by Damion Searls. – Champaign : Dalkey Archive Press, 2010. – Translation of: Det er Ales
Plays Five / translated by May-Brit Akerholt. – London : Oberon, 2011 [Includes Suzannah, Living Secretly, The Dead Dogs, A Red Butterfly’s Wing, Warm, Telemakos, and Sleep]
I am the Wind / English language version by Simon Stephens. – London : Oberon, 2011. – Translation of: Eg er vinden
Melancholy II / translated by Eric Dickens. – Champaigne : Dalkey Archive Press, 2014. – Translation of: Melancholia II
The Dead Dogs / translated by May-Brit Akerholt. – London : Oberon, 2014. – Translation of: Dei døde hundane
Plays Six / translated by May-Brit Akerholt, Neil Howard. – Oberon, 2014. [Includes Rambuku, Freedom, Over There, These Eyes, Girl in Yellow Raincoat, Christmas Tree Song, and Sea]
An Angel Walks Through the Stage : And Other Essays / translated from the Norwegian by May-Brit Akerholt ; foreword by Cecilie N. Seiness. – Victoria : Dalkey Archive Press, 2015. – Translation of: Når ein engel går gjennom scenen og andre essay
Morning and Evening : A Novel / translated by Damion Searls. – Victoria : Dalkey Archive Press, 2015. – Translation of: Morgon og kveld
Trilogy / translated by May-Brit Akerholt. – Victoria : Dalkey Archive Press, 2016. – Translation of: Trilogien
Boathouse / translated by May-Brit Akerholt. – Victoria : Dalkey Archive Press, 2017. – Translation of: Naustet
Scenes from a Childhood / translated and selected by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2018 [Short stories. Selections]
The Other Name : Septology I–II / translated by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2020. – Translation of: Det andre namnet : roman. Septologien I-II
I is Another : Septology III–V / translated by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2020. – Translation of: Eg er ein annan : roman. Septologien III–V
A New Name : Septology VI–VII / translated by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2021. – Translation of: Eit nytt namn : roman. Septologien VI–VII
Septology / translated by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2022. – Translation of: Septologien
A Shining / translated by Damion Searls. – London : Fitzcarraldo, 2023. – Translation of: Kvitleik
Works in French
Melancholia I : roman / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : POL, 1998. – Traduction de: Melancholia
Le nom ; L’enfant / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 1998. – Traduction de: Namnet ; Barnet
Quelqu’un va venir ; Le fils / traduit de norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 1999. – Traduction de: Nokon kjem til å komme ; Sonen
Et jamais nous ne serons séparés ; Un jour en été ; Dors, mon petit enfant / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2000. – Traduction de: Og aldri skal vi skiljast ; Ein sommars dag ; Sov du vesle barnet mitt
Visites; Variations sur la mort / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2002. – Traduction de: Besøk ; Dødsvariasjonar
Melancholia II / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2002. – Traduction de: Melancholia II
Le manuscrit des chiens. III. Quelle misère! / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2002. – Traduction de: Fy å fy
Matin et soir / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2003. – Traduction de: Morgon og kveld
Et la nuit chante ; Hiver/ traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2003. – Traduction de: Natta syng sine sonar ; Vinter
Rêve d’automne ; Violet ; Vivre dans le secret / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2005. – Traduction de: Draum om hausten ; Lilla ; Leve hemmeleg
La remise à bateaux / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2007. – Traduction de: Naustet
Kant ; Noir et humide ; Si lentement ; Petite Sœur / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2009. – Traduction de: Kant…
Insomnie / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2009. – Traduction de: Andvake
Je suis le vent ; Les jours s’en vont / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2010. – Traduction de: Eg er vinden ; Svevn
Le manuscrit des chiens. II. Quelle merveille! / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2010. – Traduction de: Du å du
Le manuscrit des chiens. I. Quelle galère! / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2010. – Traduction de: Nei å nei
Ylajali/ texte français, Gabriel Dufay ; en collaboration avec Camilla Bouchet ; d’après le roman ”Faim” de Knut Hamsun. – Paris : L’Arche, 2012. – Traduction de: Ylajali
Les rêves d’Olav / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2014. – Traduction de: Olavs draumar
Au tomber de la nuit / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Belval : Circé, 2016. – Traduction de: Kveldsvævd
Jeune fille sur un canapé ; Ces yeux / traduit du Marianne Ségol-Samoy. – Paris : L’Arche, 2020. – Traduction de: Jenta i sofaen ; Desse auga
Et la nuit chante ; Un jour un été ; Hiver ; Variations sur la mort / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2021. – Traduction de: Natta syng sine songar ; Ein sommars dag ; Vinter ; Dødsvariasjonar
Rêve d’automne ; Visites ; Dors mon petit enfant ; Et jamais nous de ne serons séparés / traduit du norvégien par Terje Sinding. – Paris : L’Arche, 2021. – Traduction de: Draum om hausten ; Besøk ; Sov du vesle barnet mitt ; Og aldrig skal vi skiljast
L’autre nom : Septologie I-II / traduit du norvégien par Jean-Baptiste Coursaud. – Paris : Christian Bourgois, 2021. – Traduction de: Det andre namnet
Works in German
Von Kötern, Kläffern und feinen Hundedamen / übersetzt von Dagmar Lendt. Mit Bildern von Susanne Janssen. – Hamburg : Carlsen, 1998
Die Nacht singt ihre Lieder / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Zürich : Schauspielhaus, 2000
Melancholie : Roman / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Berlin : Kindler, 2001. – Originaltitel: Melancholia
Traum in Herbst und andere Stücke / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2001. Originaltitel: Draum om hausten
Morgen und Abend / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Berlin : Fest, 2002. – Originaltitel: Morgon og kveld
Das ist Alise : Novelle / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Hamburg : Marebuchverlag, 2003
Der Sohn : deutschsprachige Erstaufführung / Hrsg. von der Schauspiel Zürich AG. – Zürich : Schauspielhaus, 2003. – Originaltitel: Sonen
Schwester / mit Bildern von Aljoscha Blau ; übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Zürich : Bajazzo-Verl., 2006. – Originaltitel: Søster
Schlaflos: Erzählung/ übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2008. – Originaltitel: Andvake
Trilogie / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2016. – Originaltitel: Trilogien
Ich bin der Wind und andere Stücke / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2016 [Anthologie]
Die Nacht singt ihre Lieder und andere Stücke / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Reinbek bei Hamburg, Rowohlt, 2016 [insgesamt 3 Werke]
Denne uforklarlege stille = Diese unerklärliche Stille / Olav Christopher Jenssen, Radierungen ; übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Münster : Kleinheinrich, 2016
Der andere Name : Heptalogie I-II : Roman / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2019. – Originaltitel: Det andre namnet. Septologien I-II
Kindheitsszenen / Holzschnitten Olav Christopher Jenssen ; übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Münster : Josef Kleinheinrich, 2019
Starker Wind : ein szenisches Gedicht von Jon Fosse : deutschsprachige Erstaufführung / Kammerspiele ; Redaktion: John von Düffel.– Berlin : Deutsches Theater Berlin, 2021
Ich ist ein anderer : Heptalogie III-V : Roman / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Hamburg : Rowohlt, 2022. – Originaltitel: Eg er ein annan. Septologien III-V
Works in Swedish
Stängd gitarr : roman / översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 1988. – Originaltitel: Stengd gitar
Båthuset : roman / översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 1989. – Originaltitel: Naustet
Kant / illustrationer av Roj Friberg ; översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Carlsén/if, 1990. – Originaltitel: Kant
Flasksamlaren : roman / översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 1992. – Originaltitel: Flaskesamlaren
Någon kommer att komma : skådespel / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Göteborg : Cinnober Teaterförening, 1998. – Originaltitel: Nokon kjem til å komme : skodespel
Melancholia / översättning av Urban Andersson. –Stockholm : Bonnier, 1999
Besök : skådespel / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Helsingborg : Helsingborgs stadsteater, 2001. – Originaltitel: Besøk
Dröm om hösten / översättning av Claes Hylinger. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska teatern, 2002. – Originaltitel: Draum om hausten
Flickan i soffan / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Stockholm : Stockholms stadsteater, 2002. – Originaltitel: Jenta i sofaen
Morgon och kväll : roman / översättning av Urban Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2002. – Originaltitel: Morgon og kveld
Någon kommer att komma / översättning av Lars Norén. – Norsborg : Riksteatern, 2002. – Originaltitel: Nokon kjem til å komme : skodespel
Sonen / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Borås : Borås Stadsteater, 2002. – Originaltitel: Sonen
Skådespel / översättningar av Svante Aulis Löwenborg, Claes Hylinger och Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Teatertidningen, 2003. – Originaltitlar: Namnet ; Sonen ; Natta syng sine songar ; Draum om hausten
Dödsvariationer / översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : Sveriges Radio, 2004. – Originaltitel: Dødsvariasjonar
Fedra / av Racine ; i version av Jon Fosse / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Norsborg : Riksteatern, 2005. – Originaltitel: Phèdre
Natten sjunger sina sånger : skådespel / översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg ; bearbetning av Nina E. Wester och Kjersti Horn. – Stockholm : Stockholms stadsteater, 2005. – Originaltitel: Natta syng sine songar
Där är du : hörspel / översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : Radioteatern, 2008. – Originaltitel: Der er du : høyrespel
Döden i Thebe / av Sofokles ; version av Jon Fosse ; översättning av Annika Silkeberg. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska teatern, 2009. – Originaltitel: Døden i Teben
Flicka i gul regnjacka : en bild / översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska teatern, 2009. – Originaltitel: Jente i gul regnjakke
Det är Ales ; och Sömnlösa / översättning av Urban Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2010. – Originaltitlar: Det er Ales ; Andvake
En sommardag / översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska teatern, 2010. – Originaltitel: Ein sommars dag
Långsam musik : dikter / Jon Fosse i urval och översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : 10TAL Bok, 2010
Saxofonmannen : monolog / översättning av Svante Aulis Löwenborg ; bearbetning av Max Lundqvist. – Stockholm : Sveriges Radio, 2012. – Originaltitel: Gitarmannen : monolog
Vinter / översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Göteborg : Folkteatern, 2012. – Originaltitel: Vinter
Trilogin / översättning av Urban Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2015 [Innehåll: Sömnlösa ; Olavs drömmar ; Kvällning]. – Originaltitel: Trilogien
Barnet : skådespel / översättning av Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 2015
Fyra pjäser / förord av Stina Ekblad : översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : 10TAL Bok, 2016. – Originaltitlar: Jente i gul regnjakke ; Dødsvariasjonar ; Eg er vinden ; Vinter
När en ängel går genom scenen : essäer / förord av Karl Ove Knausgård : översättning av Marie Lundquist. – Stockholm : 10TAL Bok, 2016. – Originaltitel: Når ein engel går gjennom scenen og andre essay
Hundmanuskripten / översättning av Christian Ekvall. – Lund : Bakhåll, 2019. – Originaltitel : Hundemanuskripta [Nei å nei ; Du å du, Fy å fy]
Ifigenia i Aulis / efter Euripides ; översättning: Marie Lundquist ; bearbetning: Nadja Weiss och Irena Kraus. – Stockholm : Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, 2019
Eddan / översättning av Lars Andersson. – Norsborg : Riksteatern, 2019. – Originaltitel: Edda
Teater I / förord av Leif Zern ; redaktörskap: Daniel Pedersen ; översättningar av Lars Norén, Steve Sem-Sandberg och Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Stockholm : Faethon, 2021
Teater II / efterskrift av Svante Aulis Löwenborg ; redaktörskap: Daniel Pedersen ; översättningar av Marie Lundquist, Svante Aulis Löwenborg och Steve Sem-Sandberg. – Stockholm : Faethon, 2021
Teater III / förord av Mikaela Blomqvist ; redaktörskap: Daniel Pedersen ; översättningar av Marie Lundquist och Svante Aulis Löwenborg. – Stockholm : Faethon, 2021
Det andra namnet : Septologin I–II / översättning av Lars Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2021. – Originaltitel: Det andre namnet : roman. Septologien I–II
Jag är en annan : Septologin III–V / översättning av Lars Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2022. – Originaltitel: Eg er ein annan : roman. Septologien III–V
Prosa 1 / översättning av Ragnar Strömberg. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2022
Prosa 2 / översättning av Ragnar Strömberg. – Stockholm : Atlas, 2022
Ett nytt namn : Septologin VI–VII / översättning av Lars Andersson. – Stockholm : Bonnier, 2023. – Originaltitel: Eit nytt namn : roman. Septologien VI–VII
Further reading
Andersen, Hadle Oftedal, Ikkje for ingenting: Jon Fosses dramatikk. – Helsingfors : Helsingfors universitet, 2004
Bordemann, Suzanne, Jon Fosses frühe Dramen und ihre Rezeption in norwegischen und deutschsprachigen Medien. – Frankfurt am Main : Peter Lang, 2013
Bordemann, Suzanne, ”Meine Arbeiten haben die Kritiker immer polarisiert, einige lieben sie, andere hassen sie” : Jon Fosses frühe Dramen und ”Traum in Herbst” in norwegischen und deutschsprachigen Rezensionen, Autorenporträts, Interviews und Meldungen. [Diss.] – Trondheim : NTNU, 2008
Bræin, Ingvild, Grotten : historia om eit hus og fem kunstnarar. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2019
Diese Stille herbeischreiben an Jon Fosse und Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – Münster : Daedalus, 2017
Fehr, Drude von der, Dramatikk og metafysikk : Jon Fosse og menneskenes vilkår i verden. – Oslo : Vidarforlaget, Solum Bokvennen AS, 2021
Galling, Ines, Balanceakte am Fjord : Ästhetische Tradition, Variation und Innovation in Jon Fosses Dramen. – Frankfurt am Main : Peter Lang, 2010
Hermansson, Kristina, Ett rum för sig : subjektsframställning vid 1900-talets slut: Ninni Holmqvist, Hanne Ørstavik, Jon Fosse, Magnus Dahlström och Kirsten Hammann. [Diss.] – Göteborg : Makadam, 2010
I skriftas lys og teatersalens mørke : ein antologi om Ibsen og Fosse / Gunnar Foss (red.). – Kristiansand : HøjskoleForlaget, Norwegian Academic Press, 2005
Kjӕrstad, Jan, ”Den andre, det andre og det helt andre : Om Jon Fosse og romanen Bly og vatn” i Menneskets felt : essays. – Oslo : Aschehoug, 1997
Landro, Jan H., Jon Fosse – enkelt og djupt : om romanane og forteljingane hans. – Førdre : Selja, 2022
Lucas, Lucille, La parole dans le théatre de Jon Fosse : silence, vide et obsession. – Saarbrücken : Éditions universitaires européennes, 2017
Mortensen, Karen Marie, Jeg er poet : om Jon Fosses forfatterskab. – København : Bangsbohave, 2021
Mysteriet i Trua : ein samtale mellom Jon Fosse og Eskil Skjeldal. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2015
Nyhus, Kjell Arnold, U allminnelig : Jon Fosse og mystikken. – Follese : Efrem, 2009
Rafis, Vincent, Mémoire et voix des morts dans le théâtre de Jon Fosse. – Dijon : Presses du réel, 2009
Seiness, Cecilie N., Jon Fosse : poet på Guds jord. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2009
Sjögren, John, ”Jon Fosse – mellan pietism och gnosticism” i Konstens sakrament : nio essäer om skapandet. – Skellefteå : Artos, 2015
Stueland, Espen, Å erstatte lykka med eit komma : essay om cesur, rituell forseintkomming i produksjonen til Jon Fosse. – Oslo : Samlaget, 1996
Torsheim, Oddvar, Ulyzes : frå skissebøkene / Oddvar Torsheim i samtale med Jon Fosse. – Leikanger : Skald, 2019
Voigt, Ina, Pause : über das Schweigen bei Samuel Beckett und Jon Fosse. [Diss.] – Duisburg, Essen : Universität Duisburg-Essen, 2006
Zern, Leif, Dans le clair-obscur : le théâtre de Jon Fosse. – Paris : L’Arche, 2008
Zern, Leif, The Luminous Darkness : The Theatre of Jon Fosse. – London : Oberon, 2015 Zern, Leif, Det lysande mörkret : Jon Fosses dramatik. – Stockholm : Norstedt, 2006
Zern, Leif, Det lysande mørket : om Jon Fosses dramatikk / omsett frå svensk av Eldbjörg Hovland. – Oslo : Samlaget, 2005
Zern, Leif, Das leuchtende Dunkle : zu Jon Fosses Dramatik / übersetzt von Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel. – München : Epodium-Verlag, 2006
Book tips
Nobel Prize in Literature 2023
Want to get started with 2023 literature laureate Jon Fosse, but don’t know which book to pick up first? Here, Anders Olsson, Chairman of the The Nobel Committee for Literature gives his recommendations.
Streams during Nobel Week
Watch the 2024 Nobel Prize lectures, Nobel Week Dialogue, the prize award ceremonies in Oslo and Stockholm and Nobel Peace Prize Forum here at nobelprize.org.