Bob Dylan awarded Nobel Prize in Literature for creating 'new poetic expressions'

October 13, 2016 at 15:28

Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2016, for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," the Swedish Academy announced Thursday.

The award is given for a lifetime of literary writing rather than a single body of work. The Academy described Dylan as “a great sampler… and for 54 years he has been at it, reinventing himself.” He will receive 8 million Swedish krona ($927,740) in prize money.

BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” pic.twitter.com/XYkeJKRfhv
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 13, 2016

"Dylan has the status of an icon," said Sara Danius, permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy. "His influence on contemporary music is profound."

Danius added that "if you look far back, 5000 years, you discover 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."

Announcement of the 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature https://t.co/VXayV4bvhC
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 13, 2016

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, the folk rock singer-songwriter has produced a vast catalog of music since the 1960’s dealing with social issues, including war and civil rights.

Dylan, 75, released his 37th LP in May and has been recognized with a number of awards for his work over the years, including 11 Grammys, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Polar Music Prize and many more.

Not where I thought the Nobel Prize would be heading, but this is awesome: Bob Dylan wins for literature.
— Jeffrey Goldberg (@JeffreyGoldberg) October 13, 2016

I love Bob Dylan with my whole entire heart, but if I had had 2000 guesses I never would have guessed that it was going to be him.
— Lisa Lucas (@likaluca) October 13, 2016

Can’t quibble with Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize but I hope there’s still time for Leonard Cohen to get his due. #nobelprize
— Ryan Meade (@ryano) October 13, 2016

Previous Nobel laureates in literature include Samuel Beckett, Rudyard Kipling, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and Gabriel García Márquez. Belarussian journalist Svetlana Alexievich took the award in 2015.