Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition. The announcement was made in Stockholm, Sweden and came as a surprise, although the 75-year-old has always been mentioned in regards to the prize. His work does not fit into […]

Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.
The announcement was made in Stockholm, Sweden and came as a surprise, although the 75-year-old has always been mentioned in regards to the prize. His work does not fit into the literary canons of novels, poetry and short stories that the prize has traditionally recognised. He is also the first American to win since the novelist Toni Morrison, in 1993.
Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minn., and grew up in Hibbing. He played in bands as a teenager, influenced by the folk musician Woody Guthrie, the authors of the Beat Generation and modernist poets.
He moved to New York in 1961 and began to perform in clubs and cafes in Greenwich Village. The following year, he signed a contract with the record producer John Hammond for his debut album, ‘Bob Dylan’ in 1962. His many other albums include ‘Bringing It All Back Home’ and ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ in 1965, “Blonde On Blonde” in 1966, and ‘Blood on the Tracks in 1975, “Oh Mercy” (1989), “Time Out Of Mind” (1997) and “Modern Times” (2006).
“Dylan, whose original name is Robert Allen Zimmerman, has recorded a large number of albums revolving around topics like the social conditions of man, religion, politics and love,” the Swedish Academy said in a biographical note accompanying the announcement. “The lyrics have continuously been published in new editions, under the title ‘Lyrics.’ As an artist, he is strikingly versatile; he has been active as painter, actor and scriptwriter.”
The academy added: “Since the late 1980s, Bob Dylan has toured persistently, an undertaking called the ‘Never-Ending Tour.’ Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature.”
The Nobel, one of the world’s most prestigious and financially generous awards, comes with a prize of 8 million Swedish kronor, or just over $900,000. The literature prize is given for a lifetime of writing rather than for a single work.
The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded 109 times to 113 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2016, including Nigeria’s Wole Soyinka who was awarded in 1986.