Jon Olav Fosse (born 29 September 1959) is a Norwegian author and dramatist. Biography Jon Fosse was born in Haugesund, Norway. A serious accident at age seven brought him close to death; the experience significantly influenced his adulthood writing. He enrolled in the University of Bergen and studied comparative literature. His debut novel, Raudt, svart (Red, Black), was published in 1983, written in Nynorsk, one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language. His first play, Og aldri skal vi skiljast (And We'll Never Be Parted), was performed and published in 1994. Fosse has written novels, short stories, poetry, children's books, essays and plays. His works have been translated into more than forty languages. He also played music (the fiddle), and much of his teenage writing practice involved creating his own lyrics for musical pieces. Fosse was made a chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite of France in 2003. Fosse also has been ranked number 83 on the list of the Top 100 living geniuses by The Daily Telegraph. Since 2011, Fosse has been granted the Grotten, an honorary residence owned by the Norwegian state and located on the premises of the Royal Palace in the city centre of Oslo. Use of the Grotten as a permanent residence is an honour specially bestowed by the King of Norway for contributions to Norwegian arts and culture. Fosse was among the literary consultants to Bibel 2011, a Norwegian translation of the Bible published in 2011. Fosse was awarded the 2015 Nordic Council's Literature Prize for the trilogy Andvake (Wakefulness), Olavs draumar (Olav's Dreams) and Kveldsvævd (Weariness). Numerous of Fosse's works have been translated into Persian by Mohammad Hamed, and his works have been performed in Iran/Tehran main halls. In April 2022, his novel A New Name: Septology VI-VII, translated into English by Damion Searls, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. The book was named a finalist for the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Award in Fiction. Between working on his novels, Fosse works as a translator on other authors' works. Personal life He lives part of the time with his second wife, a Slovak, in Hainburg an der Donau in Austria. He also has a home in Bergen and two homes in western Norway. Originally a member of the Church of Norway (although he described himself as atheist before 2012), he joined the Catholic Church in 2012-2013, and hospitalized