Jon Fosse: The Nobel Prize Laureate Who Writes the Unspeakable

Jon Fother stood there, thinking and speaking to the world.

The Nobel Prize in Literature list was announced as scheduled, and it is Jon Fosse, a Norwegian writer. Jon Fosse, you can translate this name into Jon Fosse, or you can translate his name into Jon Fosse like Shanghai Translation Publishing House did (“Someone is Coming: Selected Plays of Jon Fosse”). Which of the two Chinese translations is the most popular depends on which one is used by more people. luck. The Nobel Prize in Literature also involves luck. Why do I temporarily use the translation name Jon Foss? No reason.
Some people feel sad that they do not know John Fother’s name, and feel uncomfortable because they have not read John Fother’s books. In fact, there is no need, because “the British don’t know who he is.” Of course this is nothing to be proud of. It can only mean that I am not a well-informed person, and I am not a well-read person. Then again, who still remembers who won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year? The hot spots are gone. Pushkin never won the Nobel Prize for Literature or this award or that award, but his poems sometimes jump out of the darkness on their own – “If life deceives you.” I lied to you, do you want to cheat me back? Absolutely not. Understand if you don’t know, read if you haven’t read – this is the real way to deal with ignorance. If you’re not interested, it’s a different matter.
Jon Fother has written many novels, such as “The Red and the Black” and “The Boathouse”, but his fame mainly comes from his plays, because his plays are performed everywhere, and are almost the most performed in Europe. It has been translated into more than 40 languages, including Chinese. “Somebody’s Coming” is his famous play. The Chinese have rehearsed it. I haven’t seen it, so shut up.

I secretly guess that John Fosse’s influence is mainly in the theater circle. The British are famous for their love of drama, but for John Fother’s play “I Am the Wind”, it was “polite but gentle”. This is what critic Andrew Dixon observed. He also said that some audiences and critics were confused by the play, and even said: “I don’t know if I can understand John Fother’s play.” In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you understand it or not. “I Am the Wind” is already standing in the wind. Jon Fother’s own attitude towards acceptance or rejection struck a chord with me. He quoted Harold Pinter as saying that my play is not a lack of communication, but too much communication. Then he said he would say the same thing himself. This is pride. Of course, this also means that he is not enthusiastic about the establishment of channels, let alone what Kundera often calls kitsch or kitsch. Failure to consider readers often means greater openness. Of course this is not a provocation.
Having read a little bit about Jon Fosse, I am interested in watching his drama. But when I can see it, I am a little pessimistic and hopeful. For example, I especially want to know how his “Dead Dog” will be presented.
Jon Fosse likes to write, and he started writing when he was twelve years old, so he has accumulated a large number of works, whether they are novels, plays and essays. So I advise people who want to write something to do so as early as possible. Since ten years ago, Jon Fother has often appeared in discussions for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Perhaps because he always heard this kind of information, John Fosse himself was very calm. He thought it would be better to give the award to veteran writers. The implication is that he is still young. He also said that when the award no longer affects your writing, you will get it. Sure enough, John Fosse won the award, which may just show that the award had no impact on his writing.

Jon Fother was awarded “for his innovative drama and prose that give voice to the unspeakable”. Does “the unspeakable” include humans? Or is it just about literature and art? They seem to be above life, but in fact they are included in life.
Jon Fosse also writes poetry, so I picked up a couple of them. Mostly short, clear sentences. For example, “There is someone here/and then disappears/in the wind/disappears/inward/and hits the movement of the rock” (“There is Someone Here”), and another example is “Took a deep breath/and the mountain stood There/Then the mountain stood there/The mountain just stood there” (“The Mountain Holds its Breath”). Jon Fother stood there, thinking and speaking to the world.