
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 awarded to Bob Dylan - eCa
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2016/press.html
======
kristianc
I can't help but come back to:

A South politician preaches to the poor white man

"You got more than blacks, don't complain

You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain

And the Negro's name

Is used it is plain

For the politician's gain

As he rises to fame

And the poor white remains

On the caboose of the train

But it ain't him to blame

He's only a pawn in their game.

YouTube:
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2lQV3ADfc](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2lQV3ADfc)

As it seems especially relevant today. It's a song about the killing of civil
rights activist Medgar Evers by a poor white farmer in the 60's. Dylan
addresses the civil rights movement in a way that avoids laying the blame
squarely at the feet of the angry racist who pulled the trigger, instead
placing the blame with politicians who sow hatred, insecurity, fear and
division for their own ends and don't care what mess they leave behind.

When I see Trump rallies today full of angry people complaining their country
has been 'taken from them' I can't help but think of that song.

~~~
marcoperaza
> _When I see Trump rallies today full of angry people complaining their
> country has been 'taken from them' I can't help but think of that song._

Give me a break. "Taking our country back" is talking about wrestling power
back from the political and cultural elite that has emerged in the last half-
century. This elite formed when 1) all of the smart kids started going off to
college together and forming their own social bubble, 2) they began invariably
marrying people they went to college or work with (while in earlier times, the
successful were typically married to very average middle-class people they
grew up around), and 3) the economy shifted to highly rewarding intelligence
while wages for lower-skill work collapsed. This has led to the splintering of
American society. It has nothing to do with race.

I recommend Charles Murray's book _Coming Apart_ , which is a thorough
sociological study of this phenomenon and its effects.

~~~
v64
>This elite formed when all of the smart kids started going off to college
together and forming their own social bubble.

You say that as if it's a bad thing.

~~~
dexterdog
It is. When a society is splintered and the elites try to rule as if they
understand the masses, you will have greater strife.

~~~
v64
Can you blame them? A large portion of the masses have aligned themselves with
a con man.

~~~
marcoperaza
The Republican Party failed to field a credible candidate that spoke to Middle
America. They, too, were blinded by the elite bubble. Trump saw the weakness
and jumped on it.

~~~
v64
The Republican Party has failed to field a credible candidate for quite some
time. If you believe in science and equal rights for women and minorities,
those damn "elites" are all we have.

~~~
marcoperaza
Mitt Romney was a very good candidate, except for his ultimate lack of fight.

If you really believe that women and minorities don't have equal rights, then
I can only urge you to dig a little deeper. Gender wage discrimination is a
made-up problem, the statistics that you hear don't control for career choice,
hours-worked, positions-sought, etc. The problem with our police force is that
it's not professionalized once you get below the federal level. Police _are_
too aggressive and quick to use force, but it's not a racial issue.

SJWism is a cancer on Western civilization and it's one of the most pressing
problems we face, because it prevents us from having honest conversations
about any other problem. Debates these days always devolve into accusations of
racism/sexism/"ableism", or whatever the latest boogeyman "ism" is.

~~~
v64
I agree with you, Romney has been relatively much more sane than other
Republicans. I would have even voted for him if he was able to run as
Massachusetts Governor Romney and not Pandering to the Insane Right Wing
Romney. But he's certainly an outlier among the present class of Republicans.

I think the Republican Party's pro-life position to be discriminatory against
women. No one can force you to be an organ donor. Even if donating your organs
would save someone's life, you have autonomy over your body and you are
allowed to decline to be an organ donor. How is abortion any different? Even
if you could save the baby's life, a woman should have complete autonomy over
her body, period.

Immigration is a huge issue, and I really thought the GOP was turning the
corner on it, but it's all fallen apart since the GOP decided it would rather
pander to an angry white base. Hopefully Trump will lose big and the GOP will
actually follow the research they did in 2012.

You sound like a reasonable person. I agree that wage discrimination and
police violence aren't black and white issues. I agree that SJWism stifles
honest debate. But I believe that climate change is real. I believe that
marijuana has medicinal benefits and that the War on Drugs has been a colossal
waste. I believe that religion has no place in government or political
discourse. I believe that it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation or
gender identity is. These aren't partisan issues in my mind; it's reality.
Romney seems to understand this. But I'm from East Texas, and I know for every
one of him, there's a dozen Louie Gohmerts. The GOP needs to get its shit
together and jettison the insane branch of its tent before we end up with a de
facto one party political system.

~~~
marcoperaza
> _Immigration is a huge issue, and I really thought the GOP was turning the
> corner on it, but it 's all fallen apart since the GOP decided it would
> rather pander to an angry white base._

Amnesty for current illegal immigrants + improved border security and visa
enforcement, so that it never happens again, is the obvious answer to the
immigration problem. What many people don't know is that the American people
were sold on just that in 1986. It was a great compromise, a great
humanitarian action, worthy of a great nation.

Too bad it was a total lie. Amnesty was granted, but the improved enforcement
never came. The Democrats were happy to keep importing voters and keep a hot-
button issue alive. The Republicans were happy to keep importing cheap labor.
The people, who wanted an end to uncontrolled immigration, were the suckers.
Sanctuary cities that refuse to hand over dangerous criminals for deportation,
and a federal government that usually declines deportation anyway, have only
added fuel to the fire.

The people are totally right to refuse to be fooled again.

> _But I believe that climate change is real._

The funny thing is that the people beating the drums of climate panic tend to
be the same ones that are opposed to nuclear power, which is the easiest and
most obvious solution that doesn't require crippling our economy.

> _I believe that religion has no place in government or political discourse._

I disagree completely. The government should certainly not favor one religion
over another, but the religions are the source of our moral values, even for
most of the non-believers among us. We take for granted just how much
Christianity has shaped our secular culture and morality. If you believe in
your heart that abortion is the taking of a human life, then you have a duty
to fight to end it.

> _I believe that marijuana has medicinal benefits and that the War on Drugs
> has been a colossal waste._

I agree for the most part, but I've lately had doubts about my previous
position that we should just legalize all drugs. Drugs like heroin and meth
and cocaine rob people of their agency, of the will to direct their own lives.
They should not be available for purchase.

~~~
v64
> The people are totally right to refuse to be fooled again.

So are you saying we should just give up on the issue? We tried something and
it didn't work. We should try again. The solution isn't "build a wall".

> The funny thing is that the people beating the drums of climate panic tend
> to be the same ones that are opposed to nuclear power, which is the easiest
> and most obvious solution that doesn't require crippling our economy.

I agree, I think it's idiotic to vilify nuclear power. Catastrophes have
happened, we learned from them.

> The government should certainly not favor one religion over another, but the
> religions are the source of our moral values, even for most of the non-
> believers among us.

We agree to disagree then. I believe religion is a highly personal issue that
has no place in public discourse. I do not see Christianity's influence on our
culture and morality as a positive thing.

> Drugs like heroin and meth and cocaine rob people of their agency, of the
> will to direct their own lives. They should not be available for purchase.

I agree. When I rail against the War on Drugs, I specifically refer to the
stance of incarceration rather than rehabilitation as a solution to the drug
problem.

~~~
marcoperaza
> _So are you saying we should just give up on the issue? We tried something
> and it didn 't work. We should try again. The solution isn't "build a
> wall"._

Part of the solution is certainly to build a barrier. Mind you, this was once
uncontroversial when it was just a flimsy "border fence", which is _already_
authorized by law with bipartisan support. Now it seems that some are scared
that a proper barrier, combined with real internal enforcement, might actually
work.

Now that the trust is gone, the government must prove itself on border
security and immigration enforcement. Amnesty should only be considered when
the people are convinced that this crisis will never happen again, that we
will never again have millions of people enter the country against the
democratic will of citizens.

> _I agree, I think it 's idiotic to vilify nuclear power. Catastrophes have
> happened, we learned from them._

I suggest then that you base your vote on this issue not so much on who
"believes" in climate change or not, but who supports the _actual_ policies
that can _actually_ solve it.

> _When I rail against the War on Drugs, I specifically refer to the stance of
> incarceration rather than rehabilitation as a solution to the drug problem._

Yes, I agree that we should stop imprisoning people for possession. But I do
think that trafficking should remain a serious crime. I think you'll find that
the prison population won't change much under this arrangement.

And even if you did stop imprisoning for trafficking, it wouldn't necessarily
change much either. Most people in prison for "non-violent drug offenses"
don't have that as their most serious charge.

~~~
v64
> I suggest then that you base your vote on this issue not so much on who
> "believes" in climate change or not, but who supports the actual policies
> that can actually solve it.

How is the GOP going to put out an actual policy to solve climate change if
they don't believe it's even a problem in the first place?

~~~
marcoperaza
Nuclear power. What we were talking about.

------
fitzwatermellow
Totally 100% well deserved. Just imagine the 13 year old out there discovering
"Masters of War" or "Idiot Wind" for the first time today. Their entire point
of view is about to change. Mind upon to hitherto unknowable vistas. Ergo, the
absolute benchmark of what Great Literature strives to embody.

Also worth checking out is Dylan's controversial speech upon receiving the the
MusiCares Person of the Year 2015 award. I wonder what he'll have to say to
the World when he gets to Stockholm ;)

Read Bob Dylan's Complete, Riveting MusiCares Speech

[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-bob-dylans-
compl...](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-bob-dylans-complete-
riveting-musicares-speech-20150209)

And of course some essential viewing. D.A. Pennebaker's seminal documentary
classic _Don 't Look Back_ which follows Dylan on his concert tour of the U.K.
in 1965.

Inside Criterion's Incredible Restoration of Dylan Doc 'Don't Look Back'

[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/inside-the-
restorati...](http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/inside-the-restoration-
of-dont-look-back-20151127)

And from that timeless English tour, a masterful performance ;)

"It Ain't Me Babe" (Live, 5/7/65 - Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d8o8vNTNao](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d8o8vNTNao)

~~~
mcphilip
That MusiCares speech is a great read if you have 30 minutes to spare. A few
favorite bits:

On Dylan's immersion in classic folk:

>If you sang "John Henry" as many times as me – "John Henry was a steel-
driving man / Died with a hammer in his hand / John Henry said a man ain't
nothin' but a man / Before I let that steam drill drive me down / I'll die
with that hammer in my hand." If you had sung that song as many times as I
did, you'd have written "How many roads must a man walk down?" too.

On what's often missing from rock & roll:

>The other half of rock & roll has got to be hillbilly. And that's a
derogatory term, but it ought not to be. That's a term that includes the
Delmore Bros., Stanley Bros., Roscoe Holcomb, Git Tanner and the Skillet
Lickers... groups like that. Moonshine gone berserk. Fast cars on dirt roads.
That's the kind of combination that makes up rock & roll, and it can't be
cooked up in a science laboratory or a studio.

~~~
hackuser
The MusicCares speech is great; thanks. An interesting excerpt:

 _I learned lyrics and how to write them from listening to folk songs. And I
played them, and I met other people that played them, back when nobody was
doing it. Sang nothing but these folk songs, and they gave me the code for
everything that 's fair game, that everything belongs to everyone._

Does Dylan allow bootlegging? Are his songs libre? Does he limit their use or
charge royalties? Can I sample one without his permission?

EDIT: The very last line of the speech, as printed: _Copyright 2015 Bob Dylan_

~~~
dev360
I think hes talking mostly about the folk song tradition. If you look in both
blues/folk there are a lot of songs that are very similar, with almost
interchangeable lyrics by many different artists.

The song Little Sadie is one example - its been known under a variety of
names, with variations of lyrics. All the John Henry songs - they have been
sung by blues and country players alike for almost a century.

~~~
hackuser
> I think hes talking mostly about the folk song tradition.

He says he's part of that tradition, and at length talks about how he
benefited from it. Does he give back?

~~~
dev360
Yes, he goes into length explaining how he created his own versions of Ballad
of John Henry and "Key to the highway". You are missing the point.

"Hey Joe" is thought to be inspired by Little Sadie. Its not about ripping
off, its about telling the same story in a different way - story telling.

~~~
hackuser
Based on what I know about folk music - at one time I listened to a bunch of
it and learned about its traditions, but I'm hardly an expert - that's not
true.

By that tradition, folk songs are for everyone to play and sing, not only for
a professional to perform for you. There's a communal, shared, DIY philosophy
behind it; it's art by and for regular people (folk art), to be shared; it's
not about profit, and intellectual property is almost an opposed concept. To a
degree, it's like free/libre software and makers.

IIRC, folk music legend Woody Guthrie kept his songs simple so that anyone
could play them. And a more recent folk singer printed (maybe still prints) on
all her recordings, where the copyright info usually appears, _Unauthorized
reproduction, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing._

~~~
dev360
>> There's a communal, shared, DIY philosophy behind it; it's art by and for
regular people (folk art), to be shared;

Yes, I agree. I guess I dont see the conflict. If you play any of these songs,
change a few verses, some melody and some chords, then you can claim the
copyright just like Bob Dylan did. That is what I think he is trying to get at
in that speech.

Notice how is says the following in his copyright claim:

"Basis of Claim: New Matter: rev. melody & new music." [1]

There are many artists that have copyright claims for the same essential song
title. Search for Walking Blues, John Hardy or any old fiddle tune like Shady
Grove, Blackberry blossom, man of constant sorrow etc. There are a ton of
these songs out there where anybody can make their own mark and claim the
copyright because literally everybody does it.

Try doing that with 'Times are a changin' and I can guarantee you its not the
same unspoken code because its not one of those tunes that have been passed
down by generations of musicians and told and retold. The bar will likely be
much higher for you to claim your artistic expression on that copyright.

That was the point I was trying to make here. I mainly objected to your 'Can I
sample one without his permission?' since I don't think its the same thing.

[1] [http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-
bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=14&ti=1,14...](http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-
bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=14&ti=1,14&Search_Arg=little%20sadie&Search_Code=TALL&CNT=25&PID=ATMeBqpwcxAzm2KN9xsIHYKNVOZE&SEQ=20161014093607&SID=9)

~~~
hackuser
Thanks for your thoughtful response

> I mainly objected to your 'Can I sample one without his permission?' since I
> don't think its the same thing.

I understand your point and I agree that's the reality of it, but I'm saying
that isn't how it has to be. It isn't the same thing in some qualitative ways,
as you say, but mainly because Dylan chooses to make it different. Like all
the FOSS developers, all those Grateful Dead bootlegs, and all those
traditional folk tunes, and some folk singers (and other musicians) in the
recorded era, he could have made his libre. My guess is that like Tim Berners-
Lee, Linus Torvalds, and many others, he wouldn't be homeless, that is unless
he prefers to keep traveling.

~~~
dev360
Thats a good point, I agree completely. The whole music business has become
very dog-eat-dog :(

------
jcrei
Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.

~~~
ekianjo
The rebel became part of the institution in the end. Somewhat sad if you ask
me.

~~~
Angostura
Only sad if you believe that he didn't effect change in teh institution.

~~~
employee8000
Based on current American society and especially the election, I would say he
effected no change unfortunately.

~~~
josu
In the time since Dylan started signing black people went from having very
limited rights to winning a presidential elections. Obviously, there are many
more factors than Dylan at play, and establishing causality, or the lack of
thereof, is impossible. But, in my opinion, saying that society has not
changed would be a big mistake.

~~~
nihonde
Attributing any of that "progress" to Bob Dylan is a huge reach. He has a lot
of fans and reached some segment of the population with his act, but he's
basically just another guy peddling records and tap dancing for nickels.

~~~
josu
>Attributing any of that "progress" to Bob Dylan is a huge reach.

While that's true, Bob Dylan was most likely the reason behind Hurricane's
retrial, so that's something:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(Bob_Dylan_song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_\(Bob_Dylan_song\))

------
nabla9
Bob Dylan now has Nobel Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Officier de la
Legion d'honneur, Pulitzer, 12 Grammy's, Golden Globe, Academy Award, ...

~~~
hackerkid
He's the second person in history to have an Oscar and a Nobel Prize. The
first being George Bernard Shaw.

~~~
peter303
I believe Al Gore won both a Nobel and Oscar.

~~~
justinator
And the National popular vote for President of the United States!

------
circlefavshape
Despite being a massive admirer of Dylan's work, I'm not sure that I'm good
with this

> for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song
> tradition

There's no doubt he did this, but ... do songs count as literature? I'm not
really sure they do, and much as I love the songs, the lyrics by themselves
don't have anything like the impact (on me at least) of top-notch poetry

~~~
sfifs
>the lyrics by themselves don't have anything like the impact (on me at least)
of top-notch poetry

To you they don't, to me and others they do. To the current Nobel committee
they did this year.

At the end, Nobel prizes are highly subjective and people dependent
recognitions - so arguments of the form of X deserves and Y does not are not
too meaningful.

~~~
circlefavshape
> To you they don't, to me and others they do

Really? I've spent pretty much all my spare time and money on music for the
last 30 years, but no lyrics by themselves have ever had the effect on me
that, for example "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" has had

... but then maybe I'm looking at this wrong, and the prize is being awarded
for the _songs_ rather than just the lyrics. If that's the case then I guess
the prize is well-deserved

~~~
stinkytaco
Tambourine Man definitely struck me in a similar way to Prufrock. In fact, I
don't think songwriting gets the credit it really deserves. Dylan is verbose,
but most great songwriting is better equated to a sonnet than Prufrock. And an
album to a sonnet sequence.

One example I might offer on the same line as _Prufrock_ is _Bookends_ by
Simon and Garfunkel. From "Save the Life of My Child" all the way to "At the
Zoo" we follow a life (or many lives) and its roller coaster. "America" and
"Hazy Shade of Winter" are particular favorites.

(as an aside, one of my favorite lyrics of all time is by Gordon Lightfoot in
his excellent "Black Day in July" -

"And then the tanks go rolling in

To patch things up as best they can"

Talk about summing up so much in a few words.)

------
pilsetnieks
It seems that Haruki Murakami is the Leonardo DiCaprio of Nobel prizes.

~~~
kzisme
What is your favorite book by him? I've only read once thus far. "What I talk
about when I talk about running"

~~~
kristianov
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Check it out, it's his
personal favourite [1].

[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-
Boiled_Wonderland_and_the...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-
Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World#Critical_reception)

~~~
Steko
Can't recommend this enough, it's probably my favorite single piece of
fiction.

------
xamuel
Fantastic! Anyone know if it's the first Literature Nobel given to a pure
singer-songwriter?

Here are three Dylan songs with big literary value:

* "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts": an amazing example of musical story-telling

* "The Ballad of a Thin Man": Some of the most post-modern lyrics ever put to music...

* "Like a Rolling Stone": One of the most influential songs of all time

~~~
smnscu
'Hurricane' always gives me chills.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(Bob_Dylan_song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_\(Bob_Dylan_song\))

Here's a great video on 'All Along The Watchtower'. I'm rewatching this today
to celebrate!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In6gCrGeZfA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In6gCrGeZfA)

~~~
henrik_w
\+ 1 for 'Hurricane' \- great song!

------
hobochili
Darkness at the break of noon

Shadows even the silver spoon

The handmade blade, the child's balloon

Eclipses both the sun and moon

To understand you know too soon, there is no sense in trying

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn

Suicide remarks are torn

From the fool's gold mouthpiece the hollow horn

Plays wasted words proves to warn

That he not busy being born is busy dying

Temptation's page flies out the door

You follow, find yourself at war

Watch waterfalls of pity roar

You feel to moan but unlike before

You discover that you'd just be one more person crying

So don't fear if you hear

A foreign sound to your ear

It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing

------
grellas
A real testament to the power of imagery when skillfully and artfully handled.

Dylan himself was something of a hustler in his own way (not being negative
here: he was also quite an amazing person) but he worked hard at his craft,
delving deeply into Lord Byron and many others to hone his poetic skills - and
it showed! So many artists gained fame doing his songs owing to the
limitations of his own signing voice (his has a raw quality that is appealing
in its own right but probably more for specialized audiences as compared to
what the signing groups with more of a popular bent could achieve). "Can't
sing, can't play" was one putdown popular in that era. But oh how this music
soared from one with a raw force, a poetic inspiration, and a truly superb
talent whatever the technical limitations - and all wrapped up with the
zeitgeist of the times, perfectly capturing the sense and urgency of the civil
rights movement.

Very nice to see the accolades now being bestowed on a man who effectively
changed a generation in profound ways.

------
barrkel
Sets a useful precedent - songwriters are the poets of our time and are under-
appreciated from a critical perspective.

There's still time for Leonard Cohen; he'd have been my choice. But another
songwriter probably won't happen again so soon.

------
pjmorris
I love how so many on the thread have Dylan lyrics to contribute. Seems like
empirical evidence for his impact. I listened obsessively to every shred of
Dylan I could lay my hands on when I was a teenager.

With apologies to Bob Dylan...

Then she opened up a book of poems

And handed it to me

Written by an American poet

From the twentieth century

And everyone of them words rang true

And glowed like burnin' coal

Pourin' off of every page

Like it was written in my soul

From me to you

Tangled up in blue

~~~
dev360
This song is my personal favorite :) Thanks for posting.

------
joshaidan
Everything is Broken always felt like a theme song for my job in
telecommunications at a service provider. Especially the parts about broken
lines and broken switches. That's just how universal Dylan's literature really
is:

Broken lines, broken strings

Broken threads, broken springs

Broken idols, broken heads

People sleeping in broken beds

Ain’t no use jiving

Ain’t no use joking

Everything is broken

Broken bottles, broken plates

Broken switches, broken gates

Broken dishes, broken parts

Streets are filled with broken hearts

Broken words never meant to be spoken

Everything is broken

Seem like every time you stop and turn around

Something else just hit the ground

...

YouTube version of the song:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVMh3vJsVU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVMh3vJsVU)

~~~
poetwind
Perhaps to top it with Nobel Prizes are broken?

------
guelo
This goes up there with Obama's Nobel for peace. It's an insult to the
thousands of more deserving real authors. Baby Boomer's 1960s pop culture has
been overhyped for so long that it's just exhausting at this point. I always
find it disgusting that Dylan is celebrated as anti-war even though he wrote
Neighborhood Bully, a rabid defense of Israel's wars where he ridicules calls
for peace.

------
godson_drafty
I disagree with the Nobel committee here. They choose to ignore numerous
deserving, hard-working writers toiling in obscurity and instead heap more
praise on one of the most worshipped musicians of the era.

------
cafard
[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/04/books/l-positively-
fourth-...](http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/04/books/l-positively-fourth-
rate-099279.html?_r=0)

On the whole I agree with Rorem. But on the range of Nobelists for Literature,
I guess that Bob Dylan isn't all that much an outlier.

------
adaisadais
Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial Voices echo this is what
salvation must be like after a while But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues
You can tell by the way she smiles

"Visions of Johanna"

I don't think that anyone in modern culture has impacted society in the ways
Bob has.

------
poetwind
I have always wondered what is blowing on the wind, it seems Dylan must have
captured something important, I am still wondering many things and thinking
that wind curves are very windy.

Added: For a good singer it must be fatal to be poisoned with the virus of
fame, you become one more commodity, good for selling books and records but no
more genuine value.

I hope the next Nobel in Literature to be for a twitter writer, I don't have
anything against Dylan, it is only that I find his works are not Literature
but very good songs.

------
BurningFrog
My main complaint about Dylan is his terrible singing voice. Imagine what
could have been if he had swallowed his pride and teamed with a great singer!

Of course, this complaint is invalid for a _literature_ prize, so I can only
say it's well deserved.

Maybe this can open up for film and TV writers to be considered. They're the
ones mostly filling the storytelling needs book authors did when Nobel
instituted the prize.

~~~
whiddershins
I watched this great documentary on Ramblin Jack Ellis, I highly recommended
it, and one thing I learned was "singing pretty" was against the aesthetic of
that folk movement.

So, no I don't think he should have teamed up with a singer.

~~~
dwyer
Do you mean Ramblin' Jack Elliot? If so then it's ironic because Bob Dylan
wrote in his autobiography about Elliot's voice and guitar playing and that he
was jealous when he first heard it because it was more or less what he wished
he could sound like. I personally also think he has a great voice.

------
xHopen
.... I mean... I don't know , really I don't know... you put close to each
other Bob Dylan and Mario Vargas Llosa and you want to cry

------
johansch
This might be interesting; the original, Swedish/English/French/German-
language announcement, including audience reaction.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ybJQs8_rs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ybJQs8_rs)

(Yeah, the "permanent secretary of the Swedish academy" is showing off her
multilingual skills quite a bit...)

------
Overtonwindow
Am I the only one who said "Bob Dylan‽"

~~~
philipov
They must have been talking about Dylan Thomas, whoever he is.

~~~
garyrob
Not sure whether you were referring to an early Paul Simon song here:

"He's so unhip when you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas
/ Whoever he was" [http://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-a-simple-desultory-
phi...](http://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-a-simple-desultory-philippic-or-
how-i-was-robert-mcnamarad-into-submission-lyrics)

------
ehudla
Two famous laureates are Sartre and Bertrand Russell. Both wrote more in more
conventional genres for the prize, but most think the prize was awarded not
simply for the literary quality of their work.

Another thread connecting their awards with Dylan is that all three authored
widely read and acclaimed autobiographies or memoirs.

~~~
ternaryoperator
It's important to note that Sartre _refused_ the Nobel Prize because he felt
that a writer should not be part of an institution. That's a moral courage
that's rarely seen.

------
redwood
A less well known but powerful Dylan song, sung by his then lover Joan Baez
(from Palo Alto)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUZGGFOV6FM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUZGGFOV6FM)

With God on Our Side (Live 1966)

~~~
stinkytaco
As part of the Bootleg Series, Dylan released recordings of the Rolling
Thunder Review tour where this song features. It's one of my favorite live
albums and Dylan at probably the most satisfied and happy point of his career.

------
ashkulz
Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard

Why am I walking, where am I running

What am I saying, what am I knowing

On this guitar I'm playing, on this banjo I'm frailin'

On this mandolin I'm strummin', in the song I'm singin'

In the tune I'm hummin', in the words I'm writin'

In the words that I'm thinkin'

In this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinkin'

Who am I helping, what am I breaking

What am I giving, what am I taking

But you try with your whole soul best

Never to think these thoughts and never to let

Them kind of thoughts gain ground

Or make yer heart pound

But then again you know why they're around

Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down

\-- Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

------
6stringmerc
I'm not sure literature would be as highly esteemed if oral history and the
bards / singers / poets had not established roots in various cultures as the
way to convey large, abstract or emotional things. They're good relatives I
think. Writing by the masses is still fairly new in the grand scheme of
things. Singing songs to each other, quite a bit longer tradition, from what I
can tell looking through some stuff back in uni (including an Early Middle
English course).

------
techbio
"I just want to know how your head feels under something like that/Under your
brand new leopardskin pillbox hat" \- Bob Dylan, 1966

~~~
retox
Was always a fan of these lyrics that are unfortunately still relevant;
[http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Dylan:Masters_Of_War](http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Dylan:Masters_Of_War)

You've thrown the worst fear

That can ever be hurled

Fear to bring children

Into the world

For threatenin' my baby

Unborn and unnamed

You ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins

------
busyant
Has Dylan himself commented on the award?

He's unpredictable (and irascible) enough to make me want to hear what he
thinks about all of this.

------
nathancahill
Listen to this excellent literary analysis of one of Bob Dylan's best songs:
[https://beta.prx.org/stories/19352](https://beta.prx.org/stories/19352)

"Christopher Ricks, Professor of Humanities at Boston University explores the
poetry in Bob Dylan's songs."

------
xkaycd
I know I'm super late to the game, but Neighbourhood Bully is really
underappreciated. Great song, great poetry.

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=neighbourhood+b...](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=neighbourhood+bully)

------
emodendroket
Nobody's written any books recently?

------
dzdt
The times, they are a-changin'! Never expected to see a songwriter honored
with this prize.

------
samblr
Well, I try my best

To be just like I am

But everybody wants you

To be just like them

\- Maggie's Farm

------
mustermaster
You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows

------
Salamat
"Bob Dylan hasn't Recanted Praise for Rabbi Meir Kahane.Yes, you read that
right. Bob Dylan said Meir Kahane, who favored the forced expulsion of
Palestinians from their homeland and whose racist Kach party has since been
banned from Israeli politics, is “a really sincere guy” who’s “really put it
all together.” [https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/bob-dylan-
joins...](https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/bob-dylan-joins-forces-
with-the-neighbourhood-bully/)

------
youdontknowtho
There is a line from Paul Simon from the 60's about how people who called him
and Dylan poets didn't read real poetry. (aww snap)

I dig Dylan, though. He's awesome.

------
mariusmg
It's like giving a medicine award to yoga instructor.

------
d3ckard
Great! Funny thing, just have been talking with friend this morning about his
special status as a songwriter. Very brave and I believe right choice.

------
Quequau
Finally some news that makes me truly happy!

------
forrestbrazeal
Somewhere, Steve Jobs is smiling.

~~~
spiderjerusalem
Why?

~~~
duaneb
He was a big fan:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXt0_LxP6ug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXt0_LxP6ug)

------
seizethecheese
We've reached peak Boomer.

------
os7borne
Is it just me or has the conversation on this thread gone completely off
topic?

------
ionwake
I can't find a video or pod cast of this anywhere - anyone got a link ?

------
tambourine_man
Well, I guess I can play a song for you

Yours truly, Tambourine Man

------
Zelmor
Well deserved.

------
mbrock
My love, she speaks like silence

Without ideals or violence

She doesn't have to say she's faithful

Yet she's true like ice, like fire

------
leephillips
I never really "got" Bob Dylan.

[https://lee-phillips.org/dylanreally/](https://lee-phillips.org/dylanreally/)

------
hasbroslasher
Must've been a slow year for books

------
OrthoMetaPara
maybe Michael Crichton or the Harry Potter lady will win it next year...

------
roberto2016
Give me a break!

------
haalcion2
Thank goodness! He deserves it much more than Peter, Paul, and Mary.

------
GFK_of_xmaspast
What's up with the low-effort comments in this thread?

------
du_bing
I'm blowing in the wind...for I have no job...

