It was a surprise choice though highly appreciated. Bob Dylan, symbol of rebellion who overwhelmed generations with his songs has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Barack Obama, the President of the US himself a Nobel Laureate congratulated Dylan on his well-deserved recognition. Dylan was the voice of the US anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s and ushered in the folk-rock movement. His 1965 ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ was adjudged by many as the greatest song of all time. He was a musical accompaniment to Martin Luther King jr’s dream. Dylan was a breaker of all conventions and introduced the Beatles to marijuana which was not held against him when he was awarded the Nobel. The iconic Woodstock Festival began as a tribute to him- a rebel like James Dean who also had a serious motorcycle accident but unlike Dean survived it. When he visited England, he simply rocked Britain with his songs and lyrics.
Bob Dylan had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years. But many experts had eliminated him from the list thinking that the Swedish academy would not extend the award to the world of music. The academy ruled out such reservations. It was said that Dylan performed his poetry in the form of songs which was no different from the ancient Greek bardic tradition. Obama said he was one of his favourite poets. Swedish academy member, Per Wastburg called him the greatest living poet. It may however be pointed out that Bob Dylan was not the first song writer and singer to win the Nobel. Back in 1913, Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the highest literary tribute for his Geetanjali which was a bouquet of ennobling devotional songs in the form of poems.
