Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature 2016

In a shocking announcement to the literary world, musician Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2016. This is the first time a singer-songwriter has won the prestigious award.

Dylan was commended by the Swedish Academy “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

The 75 year-old’s win has created a lot of buzz around the world and has opened up a debate over whether song lyrics can be considered for the prize. The academy’s decision was unprecedented and it may have changed how we view literature moving forward.

Academy secretary Sara Danils made a statement after the announcement to reconfirm why their decision was made to award Dylan the Nobel Prize, “if you look far back, 5000 years, you discover Homer and Sappho. They wrote poetic texts which were meant to be performed, and it’s the same way for Bob Dylan. We still read Homer and Sappho, and we enjoy it.”

As the first American to win the prize since 1993, Dylan’s impressive repertoire of songs and lyrics has been recognized as Nobel prize worthy and is a major accomplishment for someone without an extensive list of published literary books.

In saying that, Bob Dylan will have a new updated and revised hardcover of The Lyrics: 1961-2012 released in November. This will include a comprehensive collection of Dylan’s lyrics spanning his entire career. Well known for changing his lyrics often, this collection will include Dylan’s edits for dozens of songs, which is the first time they have appeared.