Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize for Literature

[stryder]

US singer Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win the prestigious award.

The 75-year-old rock legend received the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".  The balladeer, artist and actor is the first American to win since novelist Toni Morrison in 1993.

President Obama said the honour was "well-deserved".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37643621

[C C]

What makes a man who has only ever written three books a suitable winner of the Nobel Prize for literature? Bob Dylan arguably made the lyrics more important than the music.

Given his singing ability, he would have had no choice but to specialize and pioneer with the lyrics. His guitar playing was adequate, but far from a Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, or Michael Hedges level to develop a famous solo instrumental career on.

He did have a knack for finding simplistic but very addictive melodies and chord progressions for his lyrics. (How many more of their own versions of "All Along The Watchtower" are other artists going to inflict upon the world for centuries to come? An episode of "Lucifer" had one just a few weeks ago.).

[geordief]

Totally deserved.In fact I would have thought less of him had he been a virtuoso like Chet Atkins. It would have been a distraction from his work.Same with his voice :his musicality is well able to compensate for any perceived weakness in that area.The man can carry a tune .What else is required?

Joan Baez has welcomed the news and her vocal ability was "top of the range"

[Yazata]

Music lyrics are literature? Maybe low end poetry or something.

It's true that Bob Dylan was extremely popular among a certain kind of youth in the late 60's/early 70's. Those people have probably found their way onto the Nobel prize selection committee.  

I'm inclined to perceive this as another example of the dumbing-down of the Nobel prizes, not unlike awarding one to Obama. Pretty soon, people will be winning Nobels for getting the most likes on Facebook.

Of course has anyone ever considered the Nobel literature and peace prizes as credible as the science prizes? (I'm unsure about the economics prize, it's somewhere in the middle I guess.)

[geordief]

In laudatione veritas

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37740379

Good man Bob (wonder what he is thinking)

[Syne]

I'm inclined to perceive this as another example of the dumbing-down of the Nobel prizes, not unlike awarding one to Obama. Pretty soon, people will be winning Nobels for getting the most likes on Facebook.

Agreed.