Discovering the Works of Jon Fosse: From Trilogy to The Other Name

[Los libros de Jon Fosse se pueden descargar de Bajalibros clickeando acá.]

It is always exciting when the door of the Swedish Academy opens and the person responsible for announcing who will be the new Nobel Prize in Literature comes out. This time speculation said that it was Salman Rushdie’s turn, due to the attack he suffered a little over a year ago, the Romanian Mircea Cartarescu, the Chinese Can Xue or… Jon Fosse, who was among the candidates.

As is often the case with Nobel Prize winners, it can be difficult to find their writings in bookstores.

Here, in digital format you can start reading it.

An idea to start with is Trilogy, a novel divided into three parts that follows its characters through a series of seemingly simple but meaningful events.

There, Fosse develops the story of a teenage couple who are going to have a child and who try to survive with nothing in a hostile world. The work, which tells the story of Asle and Alida, opens with a first part called Vigil; It continues with The Tales of Olav and ends with Despair.

Fosse uses short, descriptive dialogues that, paradoxically, expand on complex themes such as love, mortality, and the search for identity. This contrast between simplicity and depth is one of the most notable characteristics of his style.

In Trilogy Jon Fosse manages to provoke reflections in the reader without resorting to grand dramatic gestures. He does this through the strategic use of pauses and silences in the text, which act as blank spaces where the reader can insert their own interpretation of it.

Another entry into Jon Fosse’s work is the septalogy The Other Name. Septalogy… a saga in seven volumes that came out between 2019 and 2021. Here, Fosse immerses us in the inner life of Asle, a lonely and widowed painter who lives by the sea and barely interacts with anyone. Asle confronts her memories, her doubts, and his decisions, as he wonders what his life would have been like if he had taken another path. What would have happened if he had not given up alcohol, if he had not lost his wife, if he had not met his other self, Asleik, an alcoholic and outcast painter who lives in the city?

Asle is only linked to another painter who has the same name as him, Asle, who is an alcoholic and lives in the city with his dog Brage. They have been friends since youth. Also with his neighbor Asleik, who is a fisherman and lives alone on the farm next door. And with his gallery owner, Beyer, who holds an exhibition for him every year before Christmas because that is when his paintings sell the most.

Each of the books begins with Asle thinking about a painting he has painted and ends with him praying. In each one we discover what happened to them to have ended up like this.

Fosse’s style is minimalist but also poetic and profound. With short and simple phrases, he creates a rhythm that captures us and makes us feel the anguish and beauty of Asle’s life.

The other name forces us to be aware of the power of our decisions and the consequences they have on our identity and our destiny. It is a masterpiece of contemporary literature, which shows us the talent and originality of Jon Fosse.

book by book

Part I: Asle remembers his past, his relationship with his wife Ales, his friendship with another painter named Asleik, and his meeting with his other self, Asle, an alcoholic painter who lives in the city. Asle reflects on art, faith, love and destiny. Part II: Asle visits Beyer’s gallery owner in the city, where he prepares an exhibition of his paintings. There he is reunited with his other self, Asle, who is very sick and needs his help. Asle faces the temptation to drink again and the possibility of losing his identity. Part III: Asle returns to his house in the village, where his neighbor Asleik, who is a fisherman and is also waiting for him, is waiting for him. only. Asle tells him what happened to him in the city and tells him about his other self, Asle. Asleik confesses that he also has another self, who has the same name as him and who lives on another farm. Part IV: Asle stays to sleep at Asleik’s house, where he has a strange dream in which he sees himself. same as a child. Upon waking up, he realizes that it has snowed and that everything is covered in white. Asle decides to go see his other self, Asle, in the city, to see how she is. Part V: Asle arrives in the city, where he finds his other self, Asle, in a critical condition. . He takes him to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver. Asle feels guilty for not helping him sooner and for abandoning him. He wonders if he could have been himself if he had made different decisions. Part VI: Asle leaves the hospital and goes to see Beyer, his gallerist, who tells him that his exhibition has been a success and that he He has sold all of his paintings. Beyer suggests holding another exhibition the following year and offers him an advance. Asle accepts the money and gives it to his other self, Asle, so that he can pay his debts and improve his life.Part VII: Asle returns to his house in the village, where his neighbor Asleik is waiting for him, who tells him that he has received a letter from his other self, Asleik, who lives on another farm. The letter says that he wants to meet him and that he expects him the next day. Asle wonders what he will do and what this meeting will mean to him.
2023-10-05 14:22:48
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