Bob Dylan and his Nobel Prize for Literature

[LuvTim]

Does anyone want to comment on Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel? Are we surprised? Annoyed? Validated?

[buffyfan145]

I'm totally fine with it. I always thought Bob's music was more like poetry he put to music. As a writer I understand other authors and people in the literary world being upset but to me songwriting is a form of writing especially if it is published and a book of Bob's songs are going to be released soon.

[LuvTim]

I was fine with it, too, and for the same reasons you have stated, b. I'm a little surprised that it has been questioned publicly.
I am not a writer, so perhaps this is why it never occurred to me to be upset about it or to question whether it was appropriate. I just thought that it recognized the poetic nature of his work.
But I'm interested to read anyone's thoughts on it.

[NightMistBlue]

I think he deserves it; he revolutionized lyric writing. I haven't heard any criticism but I imagine it to be "music isn't literature," it's a different art form, etc. I don't think there's any doubt that Mr. Dylan is a poet and poetry is literature so ... everything is kosher, far as I can tell.

[LuvTim]

I've seen some sites reporting that Mr. Dylan will not return the Nobel Committee's calls, and has not acknowledged the honor at all.
Interesting. And so Dylan-esque, I think.
(Dylanian?) Lol...

[NightMistBlue]

He's acknowleged it on his web site now: http://bobdylan.com/books/the-lyrics-1961-2012/

[LuvTim]

Well, ok then. I'm glad he's accepting this sort of grand token of how totally gifted he really is.

[NightMistBlue]

Has he been reluctant to accept honors in the past? I remember him getting an award not long ago (last 1-2 years maybe) and he seemed quite gracious and pleased. I recall him thanking a lot of people who helped him over the years, even saying something like, "Joanie, I can never repay what you did for me." I've mentioned before I'm listening to Judy Collins' autobiography on CD. She says that Joan Baez (a good friend of hers) really promoted Dylan in the early 60s, making him a featured performer at her concerts, which had sizable audiences of 10,000-14,000 people. Yet Dylan didn't return the favor down the road. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. They're not giving him the Nobel Prize for Being the Nicest Guy - that would be for either Timmy Schmit or Randy Meisner

[LuvTim]

Oh, I don't know if he's refused honors in the past. I just sort of think of him as a kind of mysterious and enigmatic person. You know, maybe the kind of person who would react in a sort of unexpected way to...well, anything.

[NightMistBlue]

Absolutely. Did you read his autobiography? He has such a droll sense of humor, he had me going a few times: saying that Minnesota was founded by Vikings, claiming to have a "World's Greatest Grandpa" bumper sticker on his car, etc.