The expert commented on the award of the Nobel Prize in Literature: “Uses a stream of consciousness style”

Yuna Fosse is loved and known in Russia

Expert and editor Ekaterina Pisareva commented on MK’s award of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature to Norwegian playwright Jun Fosse. The decision of the Swedish Academy did not come as a surprise to the expert: it turns out that this time the bookmakers “spoilered” it 100%

– For the first time in my memory, the bookmakers guessed right – Fosse, who was the leader in their ranking, actually received the Nobel Prize, pushing aside the Chinese science fiction writer Can Xu and the Kenyan Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, on whom they also pinned their hopes. Yun Fosse is an excellent author, very popular both at home and abroad. In Russia, Fosse is loved and known – of course, he is not a mainstream author, but he is quite famous in theater circles. His plays have been repeatedly staged in our theaters – for example, the collection of his plays “When an Angel Walks on the Stage” was published in Russia with a cover on which was the actress Evgenia Simonova in the role of Ibsen’s widow (from the play based on Fosse’s play “Suzanne”). A couple of years ago I was even invited to the festival named after Yun Fosse – that is, for lovers of theatrical art, this name is clearly not an empty phrase. His dramatic heritage is also interesting – he writes very atmospherically, often using a stream of consciousness style, inheriting (obviously) such authors as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner.

– Is there any experience in Russia of translating Fosse’s works?

– We have translated his “Trilogy” and his novel “Septology” well – the latter appeared on the longlist for the 2020 Booker Prize. I think that after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, this writer will have a happy authorial destiny – all book displays, both in-store and digital (Pisareva is the chief editor of liters, so she knows this for sure. – I.V.), will be given to the newly-minted laureate.