Bob Dylan can now add Nobel Laureate to his seemingly endless list of accolades.
The celebrated singer-songwriter was awarded the prestigious prize in Literature on Thursday “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” said Swedish Academy permanent secretary Sara Danius. The Academy is responsible for choosing the winner of the prize in Literature.
“He is a great poet in the English speaking tradition,” Danius said in an interview after Dylan was announced as the winner. “And he is a wonderful sampler. The very original sampler. He embodies the tradition and for 54 years now he has been at it and reinventing himself constantly.”
In a statement to TheWrap, director Martin Scorsese said: “When I heard the news that Bob Dylan had won the Nobel Prize for literature, I was overjoyed. Dylan’s poetry, his musical genius, has meant so much to me personally and to generations of people around the world.
“His work has impacted and shaped culture, and he has never stopped exploring and growing as an artist. The Nobel Committee has given Dylan a form of recognition that befits his role in our culture — in world culture,” the “No Direction Home” documentary filmmaker said.
Dylan is one of the most iconic musicians in the history of American music. He first rose to prominence in the 1960’s with songs that became ballads of the growing counter culture movement, including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a Changin’,” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”
In his decades-long career, he has won multiple Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, been inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame — and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Since 1988, Dylan has been on what is known as the Never Ending Tour, playing upwards of 100 dates a year. This year he has played 75 live shows, and counting.