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On Thursday, 5 October we got to know this year\u2019s winner of Nobel Prize in the field of literature. Jon Fosse, Norwegian writer, receieved it for his \u201cinnovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable\u201d. <\/strong><\/p>\nProf. Gra\u017cyna B. Szewczyk \u2013 German, Polish and Scandinavian studies scholar, translator of Norwegian literature (among others) tells us about the author of Septology<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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TOMEK GRZ\u0104\u015aLEWICZ: <\/strong>Is the Nobel prize in literature for Jon Fosse a surprise for you?<\/p>\nPROF. GRA\u017bYNA B. SZEWCZYK: <\/strong>No, because he has been named a candidate for many years now. Fosse is very well-known, particularly as a playwright in countries such as France and Germany. His works have been translated to several dozen languages. He has a very rich and varied output: he is the author of novels, essays, dramas, poems, books for children and translations. He also fulfils the universality criterion: he takes up general human subjects, such as friendship, loneliness, death and search for God. His prose will be meaningful in every language of the world.<\/p>\nTOMEK GRZ\u0104\u015aLEWICZ: <\/strong>The Academy in Stockholm has emphasized in its verdict that the works by the Norwegian writer \u2018give voice to the unsayable.\u2019 Do you think that this phrase describes Fosse\u2019s output precisely?<\/p>\nPROF. GRA\u017bYNA B. SZEWCZYK: <\/strong>In Jon Fosse\u2019s works, the untold is often as important as what has been said. They are rather economical in words, but also filled with breaks, pauses and repetitions. The writer consciously slows down the pace of his characters\u2019 statements, providing the reader with space for reflection. He actually calls himself the \u201cauthor of slow prose\u201d.<\/p>\nPerhaps it sounds slightly different in a theatre, depending on the director of the play, who may give it another meaning, but I\u2019ve seen one of Fosse\u2019s works staged and noticed similar elements as in his prose: suspension, minimalism, conciseness. He has developed his own separate technique, although we will find there a bit of surrealism, absurdity and the heartbeat of authors such as Henrik Ibsen and Thomas Bernhard.<\/p>\n
TOMEK GRZ\u0104\u015aLEWICZ: <\/strong>It is interesting to point out that Jon Fosse writes in nynorsk<\/em>, which is far less common of the two official written standards in Norway (only about 10-15% of Norwegians use it as the official language form – editor\u2019s note).<\/p>\nPROF. GRA\u017bYNA B. SZEWCZYK: <\/strong>Nynorsk<\/em>, or \u2018New Norwegian\u2019 is indeed much less popular than bokm\u00e5l<\/em>, but it is used by a large group of active writers, and thriving in the artistic and literary circles. It is worth emphasizing that Fosse translates to nynorsk <\/em>works by world literature authors such as Ibsen, Kafka and Rilke. Therefore, the Academy\u2019s verdict can also be regarded as a tribute to the author writing in a \u201cdifferent\u201d language. Fosse is also the first Norwegian Nobel Prize winner in the field of literature since Sigrid Undset in 1928.<\/p>\nTOMEK GRZ\u0104\u015aLEWICZ: <\/strong>In Poland, we\u2019ve only been able to read Jon Fosse since 2023, when the first two volumes of Septology<\/em>, which is referred to as the writer\u2019s opus magnum<\/em>, were published by Art Rage. Which of his works should be translated next?<\/p>\nPROF. GRA\u017bYNA B. SZEWCZYK: <\/strong>The plays in particular. Some of them have already been staged in Polish theatres (e.g. in Warsaw, Krak\u00f3w and Pozna\u0144 \u2013 editor\u2019s note). It is worth to read his books for children, because we mainly Scandinavia in this category with Astrid Lindgren. Fosse\u2019s poetry is frequently religious in nature, with many references to the Holy Bible. His novel Melancholy<\/em>, whose main character is a painter, is also interesting. However, the story is very specifically Norwegian and I don\u2019t know if it will be translated to Polish.<\/p>\nTOMEK GRZ\u0104\u015aLEWICZ: <\/strong>Thank you for the interview.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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