Summary of Wakefulness
“Wakefulness” tells the story of Asle and Alida, a young couple expecting a child who are driven from their home and arrive in Bergen (Bjørgvin) in search of shelter. Sleepless, they wander the rain-soaked streets of the city, trying to find a place to stay.
Reasons to read Wakefulness
“Wakefulness” is both a parable and a love story, that evokes the biblical tale of Mary and Joseph. It explores universal themes of birth and death, innocence and injustice, and the human longing for a safe place in a cold world. Jon Fosse is a renowned Norwegian playwright, poet, and novelist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2023. In 2015, he received the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize for his trilogy “Wakefulness” (“Andvake”), “Olav’s Dreams” (“Olavs draumar”), and “Weariness” (“Kveldsvævd”). These three novellas have also been published together in English under the title “Trilogy”. Other notable works by Fosse includes the seven-volume “Septology” and his two “Melancholy” novels. Jon Fosse writes in Nynorsk (‘New Norwegian’), a lesser-used variant of the Norwegian language, distinct from Bokmål, the more commonly used variant, which is closer to Danish.
Setting: Bergen (Norway)
Original title: Andvake
Year of publication: 2007
Nr of pages: 200
