Bob Dylan, the famous American singer-songwriter and “rock poet,” was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.
According to the Swedish academy's press release, he was honored “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”
Dylan, who was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University in 1970, is the first musician to win the honor. He is also the first American to receive the Nobel in Literature since former University professor Toni Morrison won in 1993.
Dylan’s songwriting roots are from 1960s New York, where he paired lyrics protesting the Vietnam war with acoustic guitar. Influenced by both folk and rock genres, Dylan’s music has gained widespread popularity and a multitude of awards, including twelve Grammys. Throughout his five-decade career, Dylan’s lyrics have been recognized for their poetic images and surreal, long-form style.
The surprise over Dylan’s selection centers around the perceived low odds he had at winning, as well as whether or not his lyrics qualify as literature. The choice marks a drastic shift from past decisions, which have been criticized as favoring obscure, politically-minded writers over more popular figures.
“What he did was definitely art and it was definitely a really powerful use of words. He's maybe one of the greatest lyricists of all time. But I'm not sure that compares to literature on the level of Eugene O'Neill or Toni Morrison or other people who have won the Prize,” said Kieran Murphy ’19. “He was a great lyricist, but it's really strange that he was given the Nobel Prize for it.”
Prominent figures in the fields of politics, letters, and music — notably Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, British novelist Salman Rushdie, and American songwriter Rosanne Cash — have lauded the choice. On Twitter, Rushdie described Dylan as “the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition” and commended the Nobel committee for a “great choice.”
Others in the literary world have expressed disapproval of Dylan’s selection. Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh criticized the decision over Twitter, writing that the Nobel had become “an ill-conceived nostalgia award” for “senile, gibbering hippies.”
Paul Schorin ’19, founder of the music criticism magazine “The Princeton LP,” said that awarding Dylan the Nobel in Literature undermines the importance of other aspects of musicianship.
"I think it's a little silly. Part of what makes Bob Dylan so great — part of what makes any musician really great — is how they're performing the song and the music around the lyrics. There are better lyricists than him, there are people who have done more things, but it's the way he's become part of culture that's so profound,” Schorin said.
“It seems almost like a throwaway to him. It discounts that he's a musician. Obviously he's a great lyricist, but there's a lot to be said about where those words appear."
Schorin also said that the Nobel Prize can cause increased book sales and attention for lesser-known writers who win, an opportunity to increase fame that is wasted upon Dylan because of his already well-established reputation.
“Writers tend to get pushed away from the forefront of popular culture. The Nobel is one of the primary venues for making literature more popular and more accessible to the public," said Shakthi Shrima ’19. “Giving the Nobel Prize in Literature to a singer-songwriter denies writers of literature that opportunity and I think that's really sad. It's disappointing. Writer culture tends to be pretty reclusive and I think that giving the Prize to someone who's not exactly a writer of literature perpetuates that.”
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