The Fosse Lecture 2026 to be held by Marilynne Robinson
The American author Marilynne Robinson has been invited to give the Fosse Lecture, and the Dutch translator Paula Stevens is the winner of the 2026 Fosse Prize for Translators.
This has been announced in a press release by the Ministry of Culture and Equality on 21 January.
‘We look forward to honouring them both during the Fosse Lecture and the Fosse Prize in Oslo in April’, said Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery.
‘Marilynne Robinson is a distinctive writer and thinker who writes with a profound faith in humanity and in the power that resides within us. Prizewinner Paula Stevens, through her life’s work in translation and literary dissemination, has played a decisive role in bringing Norwegian literature to new readers’, Jaffery said.
The Fosse Lecture and the Fosse Prize for Translators were established by the Government in honor of Nobel Prize–winning author Jon Fosse. The annual event takes place for the second time and is organized by the National Library of Norway.
Lecture and award ceremony at the Royal Palace
The distinctions are under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit. At the invitation of The Royal House, the Fosse Lecture and the awarding of the Fosse Prize will take place at the Royal Palace on Thursday, 23 April 2026.
‘We are very grateful that the Royal House once again welcomes the literary conversation to the Royal Palace through the Fosse Lecture and the Fosse Prize’, remarks Eline Skaar Kleven, Director of Cultural Activities at the National Library of Norway.
Like last year, several dozen literary enthusiasts from across the country will be invited to the event at the Royal Palace – this time together with a number of kindred spirits from other countries.
The public will also be able to follow the lecture and award ceremony via livestream or at a parallel event held at the National Library.
Public programme at the National Library
In the days following the lecture and award ceremony at the Palace, there will be a dedicated programme series at the National Library where audiences can get to know Marilynne Robinson and Paula Stevens better.
‘This is the first time Marilynne Robinson appears on a Norwegian stage. Paula Stevens has visited Norway many times, but as a translator she has generally stayed behind the scenes, rather than on stage. Now the public has a unique opportunity to get to know them both’, said Martine Jonsrud, responsible for the Fosse Lecture and the Fosse Prize for Translators.
Marilynne Robinson
Marilynne Robinson (b. 1943) is an American author and essayist, best known for the award-winning Gilead quartet. She holds a PhD in English literature and has taught creative writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Robinson has been translated into 36 languages and is regarded as one of the foremost literary thinkers of our time, with essays and novels revolving around faith, grace, and human dignity. She has received numerous major literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, and is frequently mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The National Library and Jon Fosse have selected this lecturer based on input from the Fosse Council and a range of national and international contributors.
‘In a time in which we, in Marilynne Robinson’s view, have a tendency to reduce ourselves to something measurable, such as biology, politics or economics, Robinson defends the spiritual within the human being. With a shared interest in faith and the conditions of human existence, her authorship also connects her in a subtle way to Jon Fosse. We eagerly await her lecture, remarks Martine Jonsrud.
Paula Stevens
Paula Stevens (b. 1955) is a leading Dutch translator and an important ambassador for Norwegian literature to Dutch-speaking audiences. Since 1982, she has translated nearly 90 books from Norwegian, including works by Karl Ove Knausgård, Lars Mytting, Roy Jacobsen, and Åsne Seierstad. Over four decades, Stevens has played a decisive role in the spreading and understanding of Norwegian literature in the Netherlands, and she has also been key in recruiting and training new translators. She has been awarded numerous prestigious prizes.
NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad) serves as the professional advisory body for the translator prize, which is the largest of its kind in the world.
The winner is selected by the National Library and Jon Fosse in consultation with NORLA.
‘Paula Stevens has attained a unique position as a translator and advocate of Norwegian literature for a foreign audience. This, along with her recruitment efforts to the profession of translation, make her a natural choice as recipient of the Fosse Prize,’ said Margit Walsø, Director of NORLA.