Bob Dylan lyrics as literature: First songwriter to win a Nobel Prize
The Swedish Academy made an unexpected selection for the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature: songwriter Bob Dylan.
Mr. Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 鈥渉aving within the great American song tradition,鈥� the academy announced Thursday in Stockholm. He became the first songwriter to take home the honor, which has traditionally gone to authors of poems, short stories, and novels.
But the academy compared his work to that of ancient Greek poets, which were written primarily to be performed rather than read.
鈥淚f you look far back, 5000 years, you discover Homer and Sappho. They wrote poetic texts which were meant to be performed, and ,鈥� Sara Danius, the academy鈥檚 permanent secretary, said. 鈥淲e still read Homer and Sappho, and we enjoy it.鈥�
鈥淏ob Dylan writes poetry for the ear,鈥� she added. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 perfectly fine to read his works as poetry.鈥�
The recognition comes with a prize of 8 million Swedish kronor, the equivalent of $900,000. Rather than giving the honor for a specific piece of work, the academy awards the literature prize as a lifetime achievement.
Several people have floated the 75-year-old songwriter鈥檚 name as an unconventional choice for the prize, but many did not believe the academy would push the award鈥檚 criteria by selecting him.
鈥淚f the academy doesn鈥檛 recognize Bob Dylan 鈥� a bard who embodied the most significant cultural upheaval of the second half of the last century 鈥� it will ,鈥� former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman wrote in a New York Times op-ed in 2013. 鈥淲ith his superstar peers either silent or content to collect the big bucks playing ingratiating stadium shows, this artist, iconoclastic and still vital, demands that we take the product of his muse on his own terms, and refuses to go so gently.鈥�
It鈥檚 also not often that the prize goes to an American, as only eight before him have won the honor in its 115-year history. Toni Morrison was the last American to win, taking the prize in 1993.
Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, Dylan grew up in a Jewish family in Minnesota. As a young man, he moved to New York City鈥檚 Greenwich Village and began playing original folk music in local cafes. In the past 50 years, Dylan has released 37 studio albums and toured incessantly.
His work has touched on religion, love, the human condition, and politics, all topics also explored by more traditional winners of the literature prize. In 2008, Dylan became the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for his career contributions to American music and culture. His nearly six decade-long career has influenced generations of other musicians, writers, and artists.聽
鈥淒ylan has ,鈥� the academy wrote in an announcement. 鈥淗is influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature.鈥�
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
