Jacke Wilson

Author

History of Literature #71 – Did Bob Dylan Deserve the Nobel Prize?

dylan-typewriter

In 1959, a young singer-songwriter named Bob Zimmerman changed his name. As Bob Dylan, he then went on to change the world. After being lauded for more than 50 years for his songs and lyrics, this icon of the Sixties seemingly had achieved everything possible… and then the Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature. But does a writer of song lyrics deserve to be ranked among the world’s finest poets and novelists? Host Jacke Wilson is joined by Mike Palindrome, the President of the Literature Supporters Club, for a freewheelin’ conversation about the legendary Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan Songs:

“Tangled Up in Blue” (performed by K.T. Tunstall); “Lay Lady Lay”; “My Back Pages” (performed by the Byrds); “Every Grain of Sand” (performed by Emmylou Harris)

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:00 — 45.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS | More

Show Notes: 

Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or by leaving a voicemail at 1-361-4WILSON (1-361-494-5766).

You can find more literary discussion at jackewilson.com and more episodes of the series at historyofliterature.com.

Check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/historyofliterature.

Music Credits:

“Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the Free Music Archive / CC by SA).

 

, ,
, , , , , , ,

Posted by:

jackewilson

Jacke Wilson is the host of the popular podcast “The History of Literature,” available for free on iTunes, Stitcher, and other podcasting platforms. Learn more at historyofliterature.com and facebook.com/historyofliterature.

11 responses to “History of Literature #71 – Did Bob Dylan Deserve the Nobel Prize?”

  1. dimpibhosle Avatar
    dimpibhosle

    Some people believe fervently that Obama deserved the peace prize.
    <a href="http://www.neerajbhagat.com"chartered accountant firm

    Like

    Reply
    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      Thanks for the comment! Obama’s 2008 victory and what he represented in general (both personally and as a turning away from the Bush years) made him a good candidate for it, but it was a little surprising for someone to win after being in office less than a year, especially since he had not been a public figure for very long before that. As I mentioned in the podcast, I think his speeches and books might have made him a good candidate for a literature Nobel, too, in the Winston Churchill tradition. But I have no objection to his winning the Peace Prize.

      Like

      Reply
  2. Pleasant Street Avatar
    Pleasant Street

    I have so much to say after this podcast. Maybe I should use the voice thingy. But then there is a time limit and as my husband would say ten minutes when I get going is like the last ten minutes of a football game.
    Well I will give it a go but I wanted to say this is a great conversation about something everyone was / is talking about, and a nice change from politics.
    On the subject of politics, I ordered your books for my husband to read and he loves The Race, and wanted me to pass that along. He even read me a few passages and lines he especially liked.

    Read-Joyce….Re-joice..hehe

    Like

    Reply
    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      Thank you so much – and happy holidays to you and your husband. I’m so glad to hear he’s enjoying The Race. And of course, I’m very thankful for you and all your support. I’ll look forward to listening to the voice recording. Thanks again – you made my day!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Pleasant Street Avatar
        Pleasant Street

        I’m so glad, and to you and to all of yours-

        Like

  3. lynnbradshaw Avatar
    lynnbradshaw

    By awarding Zimmerman/Dylan the prize the Swedish Academy has extended the concept of what we understand to be poetry/literature in Western Europe. Most of the Dylan songs I know come from the period up to 1974’s Blood on the Tracks album. Looking back at the lyrics it is clear where he has taken on poetic tradition and brought it into the modern age and into the sphere of modern culture through the link with music. I am listening to Patti Smith’s rendition of a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall a couple of times a day as the lyrics are pertinent to the times we live in (the Swedes and Estonian’s preparing for a new territorial attack from Russia) and the beauty of the singing.

    However, in my opinion, Steve Earle has now taken over the mantle of poet – commentator on our social and political ills.

    Like

    Reply
    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      And a surprising turn as an actor
      on The Wire. Thanks for the comment!

      Like

      Reply
  4. keetujk Avatar
    keetujk

    Another example of a song writer who won the nobel prize was Rabindranath Tagore. His song offerings (Gitanjali) read like poetry and can stand alone as literature. He has a large body of work though : plays and novels.

    P.S. I love your podcast

    Like

    Reply
    1. jackewilson Avatar
      jackewilson

      Thanks for the comment! I was familiar with Tagore but had no idea he wrote songs. As you suggest, I suspect his novels and plays won him the Nobel, but I’ll check out his songs – they sound intriguing. He’d be a good topic for a full episode, I think. (The list grows longer!) Thanks again!

      Like

      Reply
  5. keetujk Avatar
    keetujk

    No problem. I would love to hear an episode on Tagore! If you’re planning to read Gitanjali, read William Radice’s translation – it retains the original structure of the songs and are (in my opinion) more evoking than Tagore’s own English translation.
    Here it is:
    https://books.google.ca/books?id=2nEiLMy5hDsC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=tagore+you+have+a+tryst+this+stormy+night&source=bl&ots=QZP71XCCxy&sig=VkvSv_MDX2A5TsSGsrwYAXkvqiQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNs6fMm4PRAhUq94MKHRTpCRwQ6AEIMzAE#v=onepage&q=tagore%20you%20have%20a%20tryst%20this%20stormy%20night&f=false

    Both the translations are given: Radice’s followed by Tagore’s

    Like

    Reply
    1. keetujk Avatar
      keetujk

      evocative not evoking haha

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to jackewilson Cancel reply