The American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". The announcement, in Stockholm, was a little shocking, because his work does not fit into the literary canons of novels, poetry and short stories the prize has traditionally recognized.
Bob Dylan in 1987
Speaking after the announcement, Professor Sara Danius compared Dylan to the Ancient Greek poets: "Homer and Sappho-they wrote poetic texts that were meant to be performed with instruments... it's the same with Bob Dylan".
Dylan's music spoke to a generation of people during the 1960s, a tumultuous decade that changed America. He went on to become a rock'n'roll legend and influence many musicians to come. We can say that Bob Dylan's poetry has, at times, changed the course of history.
Dylan claims to have written 'Blowin' in the wind' in 10 minutes sitting in a café. He had no way of knowing it would become an anthem of the civil rights movement. For example, it was sung on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March of Washington, hours before Martin Luther King stood before thousands of people and pronounce 'I have a dream'. Nowadays it is a timeless classic and the most covered of Dylan's songs.
Well deserved!
ReplyDeletePerfect song choice!