Jon Fosse: Morning and Evening

Morning and Evening is a novella by 2023 Nobel Laureate in Literature Jon Fosse. A wonderfully strange, sparse, quiet book about the liminal transition of life. Especially the longer second part a fascinating, dramatic prose that makes the book both ripe for the stage and unfilmable. In stretches it reminded me of Max Frisch. The book is both sad and comforting. If that’s how the transition from life is, I can live with it.

Jetzt bist du auch tot Johannes, sagt Peter
Heute früh am Mengen bist der gestorben, sagt er
Und weil ich dein bester Freund gewesen bin, bin ich gesandt worden, dich zu holen, sagt er
Aber warum haben wir die Krebsreusen eingeholt ? fragt Johannes
Du hast dir ja erst das Leben abgewöhnen müssen, sagt Peter
So ist das also, sagt Johannes
So ist das, sagt Peter

Now you’re dead too, says Peter
You died early this morning, he says
And because I was your best friend, I was sent to fetch you, he says
But why did we bring in the the crab traps? asks Johannes
You first had to cure of life, says Peter
So that’s how it is, says John
That’s how it is, says Peter

p. 118

 I read the German translation by Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel, first published in 2001. The English translation by Damion Searls is published by Dalkey Archives 2015