Norwegian writer “He who gives voice to the unspeakable” wins the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature

John Foss, Swedish writer who won the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature for her writings that give voice to things that cannot be spoken about.

Foreign news agencies reported that on October 5, 2023, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that Mr. John Foss, a Norwegian writer, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature in addition to a financial award of 11 million Swedish krona (about 36.7 million baht) for his work in writing plays. And prose. That gives voice to the indescribable

Voss, now 64, was born in a town on the west coast of Norway. There are more than 40 plays, including novels, poems, articles and children’s books. And a number of translations

The Nobel Committee for Literature praised Foss’s writing style. This is known as “Fosse simplicity”. “Fosse presents every situation. A Day in Our Lives made me think of it immediately. The minimal use of language and action in his plays. He powerfully expresses human anxiety and helplessness in their simplest form.”

Foss’s masterpiece, written in Norwegian Nynorsk, includes “Septology,” a three-volume novel that tells the story of an elderly painter and his widowed mother who lives alone. The painter also tried to contemplate the reality of religion, identity, art, and family life.

Mr. Anders Olsson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Literature, said: Mr. Voss is a wonderful writer in many ways: “He touches you deeply when you read his works. And when you read, you will have to keep reading.”

“The thing about him is the intimacy of his writing. It touches on the deepest feelings you have. Anxiety, uncertainty, and questions about life and death are things every human being has to deal with from the beginning,” Mr. Olson continued. In that sense, I think he’s come a long way. All his writings had a far-reaching impact. Whether it’s drama, poetry or prose, they all have the same impact of this basic humanity.

He said Mr Voss was involved in a near-fatal accident when he was just 7 years old. This was the most important experience of his childhood. This experience is what made him an artist.