The Norwegian Government honours Jon Fosse
Press release | No: 73/23 | Date: 07/12/2023 | Ministry of Culture and Equality
On the occasion of Jon Fosse being awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Norwegian Government is establishing a new, annual initiative in honour of the author – an annual Fosse lecture, which will be held alongside an event organised by the National Library of Norway, where a Fosse stipend will also be awarded. In this way, the Government wants to demonstrate how important Fosse’s literary works are, both for Norway and internationally.
‘This is the very first time that an author who writes in Nynorsk is being honoured in this way, and it is 95 years since a Norwegian author was last awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This is a historic event, and Fosse will forever be written into literary history, both in Norway and beyond. The Norwegian Government wishes to honour the exceptional international position that Jon Fosse has achieved,’ says the Norwegian Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery.
The annual lecture will be given by an internationally renowned author, playwright, literature researcher or equivalent, who will be invited by the National Library of Norway, in consultation with Jon Fosse. A stipend for a period of residence in Norway will also be awarded at this event, to a professional translator who translates Norwegian literature into other languages. The recipient of the stipend will be selected by NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad) in consultation with the National Library of Norway.
Jon Fosse has been informed of this, and has made the following comment:
‘I am very grateful that on the occasion of my being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Norwegian Government will establish an annual Fosse lecture, and will also establish a new stipend for translators of Norwegian literature. The fact that this is being announced in the middle of Nobel Week makes it even more important both for me and for Norwegian literature.’