Kyobo Bookstore Hosts Online Lecture with Nobel Literature Laureate Jon Fosse

On the 23rd, at Daesan Hall, 23rd floor, Kyobo Building, Gwanghwamun

Kyobo Book Centre announced on the 8th that it will hold the 2024 Reading Empathy event "Reading Jon Fosse," featuring 2023 Nobel Literature Prize winner Jon Fosse participating online, on the 23rd at 7:30 PM in the Daesan Hall on the 23rd floor of the Kyobo Building in Gwanghwamun.

This lecture will be conducted through a dialogue and reading about Jon Fosse, a writer and his works currently receiving much attention in the literary world. Writer Jeong Yeoul will host the event, with Professor Hong Jae-woong from the Department of Scandinavian Languages at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and poet Yuk Ho-su participating to discuss Jon Fosse and his works.

A special session will be arranged where Jon Fosse will appear online to interact with readers. Readers can participate in a pre-prepared event to leave questions they want to ask Jon Fosse. Among the participants, five will be selected by lottery to receive a book signed by Jon Fosse. The Q&A session with Jon Fosse will be broadcast live on-site online and will be conducted with simultaneous interpretation in Korean and English.

Jon Fosse [Photo by Embassy of Norway in Korea]

Jon Fosse was born in 1959 in the coastal city of Haugesund, Norway, and grew up in Hardangerfjord. He debuted in 1983 with the novel Red, Black and gained worldwide fame as a playwright. Starting with his first play And We'll Never Be Parted in 1994, his plays such as Name, Someone Is Going to Come, The Night Sings, The Guitar Man, One Summer Day, Dream of Autumn, and I Am the Wind have earned international acclaim and have been performed over 900 times worldwide. In his home country Norway, he is regarded as the greatest playwright since Henrik Ibsen (1828?1906), famous for A Doll's House, leading the forefront of contemporary theater. Jon Fosse showcases diverse writing styles including plays, novels, poetry, and prose with a musical and experimental style. His works have been translated into more than 40 languages. He has received numerous awards worldwide, including the 2023 Nobel Literature Prize. In Korea, works such as Morning and Evening and Boathouse have been translated and introduced.

Applications for participation in this lecture can be made on a first-come, first-served basis through the Kyobo Book Centre and Daesan Foundation websites. The event video will be available later on the Kyobo Book Centre YouTube channel.