Bob Dylan is (kind of) celebrating the fact that he won the 2016 Nobel Prize.
On the notoriously reclusive singer’s official website, a note now appears at the top of the page promoting his book, “Bob Dylan: The Lyrics: 1961-2012.” It simply reads, “Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.” That’s something, right?
The celebrated singer-songwriter was awarded the prestigious prize in Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” However, the Swedish Academy, which chooses the winner, has been unable to reach Dylan.
In a statement to TheWrap earlier this week, Academy permanent secretary Sara Danius said, “We have not yet established direct contact with Bob Dylan but I have spoken to one of his close colleagues, who was extremely gracious.” Dylan will still receive the prize even if he doesn’t attend the award ceremony.
“It would be fantastic if Dylan wanted to come to Stockholm in December but if he doesn’t want to, so be it,” Danius added. “It has happened before, for different reasons — think Alice Munro, Doris Lessing, Harold Pinter and Elfriede Jelinek, to name a few. Whatever transpires, the award belongs to Dylan, which is what is important as far as the Swedish Academy is concerned.”