Bob Dylan, Titan Of American Music, Wins 2016 Nobel Prize In Literature

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Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature. The prolific musician is the first Nobel winner to have forged a career primarily as a singer-songwriter. What's more, he's also the first American to have won the prize in more than two decades. Not since novelist Toni Morrison won in 1993 has an American claimed the prize.

Dylan earned the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," according to the citation by the Swedish Academy, the committee that annually decides the recipient of the Nobel Prize. The academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, announced the news Thursday.

The win comes as something of a shock. As usual, the Swedish Academy did not announce a shortlist of nominees, leaving the betting markets to their best guesses. And while Dylan has enjoyed perennial favor as an outside shot for the award, the prospect that the musician would be the one to break the Americans' long dry spell was regarded as far-fetched — not least because he made his career foremost on the stage, not the printed page.

Yet few would argue Dylan has been anything but influential, both in the U.S. and beyond its borders. The prolific singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has produced dozens of albums, including The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited and Blood on the Tracks. His track "Like a Rolling Stone" has taken on mythic standing in the decades since its release; many, including Dylan himself, have pointed to it as emblematic of a sea change in American music.

"Tin Pan Alley is gone," Dylan proclaimed in 1985, referring the dominant conventions established by music publishers of the early 20th century. "I put an end to it. People can record their own songs now."

Dylan, who was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941, "has the status of an icon," the Swedish Academy wrote in a biographical note. "His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature."

In an interview following the announcement, Danius elaborated on the Swedish Academy's decision: "He is a great poet in the English-speaking tradition, and he is a wonderful sampler — a very original sampler," Danius explained. "For 54 years now he has been at it and reinventing himself, constantly creating a new identity."

And for his work, he has been amply recognized by critical community. Dylan has won Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S. Now, to that trove of honors Dylan has added a Nobel.

The Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded since 1901 to writers who have produced "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." In that time, 109 prizes have been distributed to 113 writers. This year, the prize carries with it a purse of approximately $900,000 and, as usual, inclusion on literature's most illustrious list — the pantheon of Nobel winners.

The 75-year-old artist will receive his award in Stockholm on Dec. 10.</s>(JTA) — American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Dylan, 75, was recognized for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” the Swedish Academy, which is responsible for choosing the Nobel laureates in literature, announced Thursday.

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman and raised Jewish in Minnesota, Dylan wrote some of the most influential and well-known songs of the 1960s. His hits include “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Times They Are a-Changin’.”

Dylan is the first American to receive the prize in more than 20 years; novelist Toni Morrison won in 1993. He will receive the $927,740 prize in Stockholm on Dec. 10, which is Alfred Nobel’s birthday.</s>STOCKHOLM (AP) — Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday, a stunning announcement that for the first time bestowed the prestigious award on a musician for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Reporters and others who gathered at the Swedish Academy's headquarters in Stockholm's Old Town reacted with a loud cheer as his name was read out.

Dylan, 75, is the most iconic poet-musician of his generation. Songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin"' became anthems for the U.S. anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. He is the first American winner of the Nobel literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1993.

Dylan's impact on popular culture was immense and his influence as a lyricist extends to every major music figure and songwriter of the last 50 years, from the Beatles to Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Ed Sheeran and beyond.

Generally described as a rock musician, Dylan has been influenced by numerous musical styles, including country, gospel, blues, folk, pop, and rhythm and blues. He pursued them all, sometimes separately and other times simultaneously, establishing a towering influence.

But although he had been mentioned in Nobel speculation for years, many experts had ruled him out, thinking the academy wouldn't extend its more than a century-old award to the world of music.

They were wrong. The academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, said while Dylan performs his poetry in the form of songs, that's no different from the ancient Greeks, whose works were often performed to music.

"Bob Dylan writes poetry for the ear," she said. "But it's perfectly fine to read his works as poetry."

Danius told The Associated Press that a "great majority" on the 18-member Nobel panel voted for Dylan. She said her personal favorites among Dylan's songs include "Chimes of Freedom" and "Visions of Johanna," and suggested that people unfamiliar with Dylan's music start by listening to his 1966 album "Blonde on Blonde."

Writers, musicians and even heads of state commented on the Nobel academy's choice on Twitter. British author Salman Rushdie, whose name is often mentioned in the Nobel Literature Prize speculation, called Dylan "the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition. Great choice."

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet congratulated Dylan, saying "many fond memories from my adolescence are associated with his music."

Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh was less impressed, however.

"I'm a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies," he tweeted.

Lyrics from scores of Dylan songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind," "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again," "My Back Pages" and "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," have worked their way into the public lexicon over the years, becoming repeated over and over, much in the manner of lines from Shakespearean plays.

The literary value of Dylan's texts are also supported by "The Norton Introduction to Literature," a textbook used in American high schools and universities, which includes the lyrics to Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man."

Born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan grew up in a Jewish middle-class family.

By his early 20s, he had taken the folk music world by storm. From that time on, he would constantly reinvent himself — often enraging followers in the process — but then later winning them back and adding new admirers. His career was such a complicated pastiche of elusive, ever-changing styles that it took six actors to portray him in the 2007 movie based on his life, "I'm Not There."

He won an Academy Award in 2001 for the song "Things Have Changed" and received a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1991. In 2008, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to music and American culture.

Dylan is the most unorthodox Nobel literature prize winner since 1997, when the award went to Italian playwright Dario Fo, whose works some say also need to be performed to be fully appreciated. By a sad coincidence, Fo died Thursday at age 90.

The literature prize completed this year's Nobel Prize announcements. The six awards, each worth 8 million kronor (about $930,000), will be handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.</s>Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature for his lifetime’s work in bringing poetic lyrical compositions to the ears of the masses.

The American singer-songwriter has been an influential force in the conciousness of man.

Bob Dylans’ songs during the 60s in the U.S. helped the hippie movement bring the issue of marijuana to the forefront.

It allowed the parents of the Baby Boomers and later the Baby Boomers themselves to see the light and question authority, any authority; be it religious, governmental, military or otherwise.

Some argue that world peace has been maintained ever since and resistance to the elites was started in the 60s.

Dylan could have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Bob Dylan influenced a lot of musicians who came after him.

He was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.“

The 75-year-old songwriter, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, began his musical career in 1959 in his native Minnesota.

His songs from the 1960s became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements.

Dylan later moved away from traditional folk songwriting and decided to “go electric.”

Among his most popular albums are Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde and Blood on the Tracks.

Dylan had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years, but few experts expected the academy to extend the prestigious award to a genre such as pop music.

The Nobel Committee’s permanent secretary Sara Danius said Dylan was “a great sampler” who has been reinventing himself for 54 years.

“Bob Dylan writes poetry for the ear,” she said. “But it’s perfectly fine to read his works as poetry.”

She invited people to listen to Blonde on Blonde, “an extraordinary example of his brilliant way of rhyming, putting together refrains, and his brilliant way of thinking.”

Danius admitted that the choice may seem surprising to many, but she drew parallels between Dylan’s work and that of ancient Greek poets Homer and Sappho.

“They wrote poetic texts which were meant to be performed, and it’s the same way for Bob Dylan. We still read Homer and Sappho, and we enjoy it,” she said.

Dylan is the first American winner of the Nobel literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1993.

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 Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door: Bob Dylan tribute mix by Monsters Of Rock</s>The Swedish Academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, said Dylan, 75, "is a great poet in the English-speaking tradition." She drew parallels between his work and that of ancient Greek poets Homer and Sappho.

"If you look back, far back, 2,500 years or so, you discover Homer and Sappho and they wrote poetic texts that were meant to be listened to, that were meant to be performed, often with instruments -- and it's the same way with Bob Dylan," she said.

Although Dylan is not in the established canon of literary writers, Danius praised his creative output over five decades, including his constant reinvention of himself.

Asked where those unfamiliar with Dylan's work should start, Danius recommended his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde, saying it contained "many examples of his brilliant way of rhyming."

The award will certainly be a surprise for some. An article published in the New Republic on October 6 was headlined: "Who Will Win the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature? Not Bob Dylan, that's for sure." At that point, Dylan was given odds of 50/1 by bookmaker Ladbrokes to win the prize. Bookmakers' favorites for 2016 included Japanese author Haruki Murakami, American novelist Philip Roth and Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o but the actual list of nominees will be kept secret for 50 years. His award will be welcomed by legions of fans around the world. Congratulations to Bob Dylan on the Nobel Prize for Literature. He launched me and many others on oceans of which we'd never dreamed... — Robyn Hitchcock (@RobynHitchcock) October 13, 2016 One Robyn Hitchcock, tweeted: "He launched me and many others on oceans of which we'd never dreamed..." Dylan, 75, was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1941, and released his first album, "Bob Dylan," in 1962. Since then, he's collected 10 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, one Golden Globe and one Academy Award. In 2008, he won a Pulitzer Prize special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." He becomes the 108th winner of the most prestigious literature award in the world.</s>American music legend Bob Dylan on Thursday won the Nobel Literature Prize, the first songwriter to win the prestigious award and an announcement that stunned prize watchers.

Dylan, 75, was honored “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” the Swedish Academy said.

The choice was met by gasps and a long round of applause from journalists attending the prize announcement.

The folk singer has been mentioned in Nobel speculation in past years, but was never seen as a serious contender.

The Academy’s permanent secretary Sara Danius said Dylan’s songs were “poetry for the ears.”

The Nobel award is the latest accolade for a singer who has come a long way from his humble beginnings as Robert Allen Zimmerman, born in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, who taught himself to play the harmonica, guitar and piano.

Last year, the prize went to Belarussian author Svetlana Alexievich, for her documentary-style narratives based on witness testimonies.

Dylan will take home the eight million kronor ($906,000 or 822,000 euros) prize sum.

The literature award caps the 2016 Nobel season, following more than a week of announcements for the prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, economics and peace, with the latter going to Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos for his efforts to end a half-century war with the FARC rebels.

The 2016 laureates will receive their awards—a gold medal and a diploma—at a formal ceremony in Stockholm as tradition dictates on December 10, the anniversary of the death of prize creator Alfred Nobel.

A separate ceremony is held in Oslo for the peace prize laureate on the same day, as the Norwegian Nobel Committee grants that award.</s>Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize for Literature in a surprise decision that makes him the only singer-songwriter ever to win the award. Nathan Frandino reports.</s>STOCKHOLM — American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday, a stunning announcement that for the first time bestowed the prestigious award on a musician.

The Swedish Academy cited Dylan for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

Reporters and others gathered for the announcement at the academy’s headquarters in Stockholm’s Old Town reacted with a loud cheer as his name was read out.

Dylan had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years, but few experts expected the academy to extend the prestigious award to a genre such as popular music.

The academy’s permanent secretary, Sara Danius, said that while Dylan performs his poetry in the form of songs, that’s no different from the ancient Greeks, whose works were often performed to music.

“Bob Dylan writes poetry for the ear,” she said. “But it’s perfectly fine to read his works as poetry.”

Dylan was born on May 24, 1941, in Duluth, Minn. He grew up in a Jewish middle-class family. He’s the first American winner of the Nobel literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1992.

By his early 20s, he had taken the folk music world by storm. “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin” became anthems for the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. Dylan was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his contributions to music and American culture.

The literature award was the last of this year’s Nobel Prizes to be announced. The six awards will be handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896.</s>Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize for Literature "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," the Swedish Academy said on Thursday in awarding the 8 million Swedish crown ($927,740) prize.

Literature was the last of this year's Nobel prizes to be awarded. The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.</s>American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize in literature, the first time the prestigious award has been given to a musician.

The Swedish Academy cited him for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

Those gathered for the announcement at the academy's headquarters in Stockholm's Old Town reacted with a loud cheer as his name was read out.

Dylan had been mentioned in Nobel speculation for years but few experts expected the academy to extend the prestigious award to a genre such as popular music.

The academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, said that while Dylan performs his poetry in the form of songs it is no different from the ancient Greeks, whose works were often performed to music.

"Bob Dylan writes poetry for the ear," she said. "But it's perfectly fine to read his works as poetry."

British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, often mentioned as a possible Nobel literature prize contender, lauded the choice to honour Dylan.

"From Orpheus to Faiz, song and poetry have been closely linked. Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition. Great choice," Rushdie said.

But Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh reacted angrily to the award, embarking on a series of exchanges on Twitter.

"I'm a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies," the Trainspotting author wrote.

He continued: "If you're a 'music' fan, look it up in the dictionary. Then 'literature'. Then compare and contrast."

He also begged to know if writer Don De Lillo had been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll hall of fame yet.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was one of the first to congratulate Dylan.

"What a joy that Bob Dylan got the Nobel for literature. Many fond memories from my adolescence are associated with his music," she said.

Dylan was born on May 24 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota and grew up in a Jewish middle-class family.

He is the first American winner of the Nobel literature prize since Toni Morrison in 1992.

By his early 20s, he had taken the folk music world by storm. Blowin' In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin became anthems for the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s.

Dylan was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his contributions to music and American culture.

The literature award was the last of this year's Nobel Prizes to be announced.

The six awards will be handed out on December 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.
American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.