Musical icon Bob Dylan has made history. The 75 year old was honoured with the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first American to win it since 1993, and the first ever musician.
The 75 year old singer-songwriter surprised many by winning the award. Philip Roth, Ian McEwan, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo were all considered to be the top contenders to receive it this year, but instead it was Dylan taking it home. Dylan has long been known for his strong, poetic and evocative lyrics. A lot of his music were also extremely political. From hits such Blowin’ in the Wind, to Forever Young and The Times They Are a-Changin’, Dylan often helped people question the world around them.
The Nobel committee praised Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” after announcing his selection. While the awards themselves, and the 8 million Swedish kronor (about $900,000 American dollars) won’t be handed out until December, the committee has been making the announcements for the winners of the various awards for the past few weeks.
Until this year, the Nobel prize in Literature has always been handed out to poets or authors, including William Faulkner, Gabriel García Márquez, Saul Bellow, William Butler Yeats and Ernest Hemingway. Musicians have always been overlooked. While Dylan has written a book of poetry in the past, as well as a collection of writing and drawings, and a memoir, he is mostly known for his music. From Folk, to country, rock and roll and even gospel, Dylan has crossed over into several different genres. His music crossed boundaries, and it is only fitting that it took him to a place no musician has ever gone before.
Photo: Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz on Wikipedia
