The Luminous Darkness: On Jon Fosse's Theatre

Features of The Luminous Darkness: On Jon Fosse's Theatre

When Jon Fosse had his playwright dbut with And We Shall Never Part at the National Theatre in Bergen in 1994, he was already an established author of several novels, collections of poetry and childrens books. Since his breakthrough in 1996 with the world premiere of Someone Will Arrive at the Norwegian Theatre he has written over twenty more plays and has become the worlds most performed contemporary European playwright. Oberon Books publishes Nightsongs, The Girl on the Sofa and I Am the Wind, together with his other plays in five collections. Fosse was made a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mrite of France in 2007 and received The International Ibsen Award in 2010.Since the early 1990s, Jon Fosses plays have been produced in countless venues internationally, and have been translated into dozens of languages - winning awards, inspiring critical adulation, and intriguing and inspiring theatregoers throughout the world. Strangely, however, his work remains largely unknown to English-speaking audiences - an oversight that Leif Zerns The Luminous Darkness will do much to redress. In twelve short chapters, the book explores Fosses career, offering a lucid and insightful argument that is enriched by Zerns intimate knowledge of the plays in production. The result is an important and timely study of a playwright who demands and deserves our attention. - Patrick Lonergan, National University of Ireland Galway