Five months have rolled around since the 2016 Nobel Prize winners were announced and singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was noticeably absent from the awards ceremony two months ago. However, recently Dylan has announced that he will finally accept his Nobel Prize for literature.
The Nobel prize committee shocked people around the globe when they announced the recipient of this prestigious award and stated that Dylan will “accept his diploma and medal when he’s in Stockholm, Sweden, for two concerts.”
A highly controversial win for the Nobel Prize for literature Dylan was the first songwriter to ever win the prestigious award, causing many to question whether lyrics could ever be considered poetry.
This event truly broadened the idea of literature. The folk singer was an important part of the tumultuous 60’s, with his lyrics becoming the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.
One such example is from his song “Blowin in the Wind”.
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
Although Dylan’s music and lyrics are not what literature is generally presumed to be, his music’s influence, and the social commentary it has brought into minds influenced and is a large part of American culture.
He received this prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.
Now that Dylan has finally accepted his prize, the Academy will award him with his Nobel diploma and the Nobel medal, and congratulate him on his Nobel Prize in Literature.
