Bob Dylan Wins Nobel Prize for Literature

William Haskins

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i would have given you extra points for a husker du reference instead.

artists aren't required to do anything beyond create art.
 

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Bob Dylan didn't ask for the award.

He didn't apply or submit a profolio for the award.

I don't see why he's obligated to do anything.

He's a little independent about awards.

And honestly, the money for a Minnesotan might make him uncomfortable (8.0 million SEK or c. $8,97419.20 US)
 
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rugcat

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No one's obligated to be polite. No one is obligated not to be sullen, dismissive, or unpleasant either.

But the idea that politeness and common courtesy don't apply if you have talent to me is total bullshit. An artist's courtesy or lack of it has nothing to do with their art. It certainly would never prevent me from listening to Dylon's music or appreciating his work.

But he's acting like an ass, imo, and I see no reason to ignore that or make excuses for it simply because he's a terrific songwriter.

Many great artists have been, shall we say, problematic people in their interactions with other human beings. That's irrelevant to the work they produce. But the work they produce doesn't justify how they act toward other people, either.
 

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No one's obligated to be polite. No one is obligated not to be sullen, dismissive, or unpleasant either.

But the idea that politeness and common courtesy don't apply if you have talent to me is total bullshit. An artist's courtesy or lack of it has nothing to do with their art. It certainly would never prevent me from listening to Dylon's music or appreciating his work.

But he's acting like an ass, imo, and I see no reason to ignore that or make excuses for it simply because he's a terrific songwriter.

Many great artists have been, shall we say, problematic people in their interactions with other human beings. That's irrelevant to the work they produce. But the work they produce doesn't justify how they act toward other people, either.

Not meaning to make excuses, but honestly, he kinda has a reputation for this kind of thing. So yes, it's graceless—but not surprising.

I halfway expect him to turn it down, honestly.
 

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A group of powerful people decide to give a legendary artist an award. The legendary artist isn't interested in the award, has never expressed any interest in the award, and may even feel the group is exploiting his life's work for their own benefit, given all the press and attention and controversy the award has generated, for no other reason than that it was given to him. So he ignores them. He doesn't sneer at them or criticize them or berate them. He just - doesn't respond. The group then publicly insults him for not showing appropriate gratitude for, and deference to, their award. I don't think this necessarily means he thinks his talent exempts him from common courtesy. Maybe he just thinks he doesn't owe any gratitude to these people, period.
 

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Award or no award alters Dylan's influence on the music and thinking of his generation. He probably doesn't like that, either. But his work is out there for everybody to enjoy and absorb, and ain't nothing he can do about that, either.

caw
 

robeiae

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If a fan gave you an award, and it became an international thing, would it really be that bad an idea to say, "Thanks. I'm glad you dig the music. I can't make the party, but thanks."?
No, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

But the Noble Prize Committee isn't a bunch of fans. Like the Academy of Motion Pictures (and a lot of sports writers/broadcasters who cover college sports, but that's neither here nor there), they're a group of self-important snobs who believe their collective opinion on something is very, very special.

In my opinion.

Regardless, Dylan isn't obligated to do anything here and the Nobel Committee is free to retract the award. Won't change much of anything. Dylan's legacy will continue being what it is and the Nobel Committee will continue doing what they do. Personally, I find the former a helluva lot more interesting than the latter.
 

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It's pretty hard to think of something more "establishment" than the Nobel Prize. I can understand why he doesn't care.

As for being arrogant... I dunno. If I gave him a prize, I wouldn't expect him to acknowledge me. The Nobel committee calling him impolite and arrogant kind of sounds to me like a group of hugely privileged posh people being told they're not as relevant or important as they have always thought they were. Smacks of an aristocratic "how DARE you!" disbelief.
 

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It's pretty hard to think of something more "establishment" than the Nobel Prize. I can understand why he doesn't care.

As for being arrogant... I dunno. If I gave him a prize, I wouldn't expect him to acknowledge me. The Nobel committee calling him impolite and arrogant kind of sounds to me like a group of hugely privileged posh people being told they're not as relevant or important as they have always thought they were. Smacks of an aristocratic "how DARE you!" disbelief.

This pretty accurately sums up my feelings on the matter. An artist as anti-establishment as Dylan, his reaction doesn't surprise me.

However, if they're going to give a Nobel Prize in Literature to a singer-songwriter, it should be Leonard Cohen. In addition to his amazing lyrics, he's published several books of poetry, "Hallelujah" has become a standard in his lifetime, and he's the author of two novels, the second of which Beautiful Losers is recognized as introducing postmodernism to Canadian Literature. I would have given the prize to him over fellow Canadian Alice Munro, who is a very good writer but isn't Leonard Cohen.
 

robeiae

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Lol. It "should be" Cohen? This is subjective stuff, no doubt, but I can't imagine any rubric that leads to Leonard Cohen > Bob Dylan.

"Hallelujah" is a great, great, piece. But then Bob Dylan has a lot of great, great pieces, doesn't he? Thirteen songs written and performed by Dylan are in the Rolling Stone Top 500. Two (?) other songs written by him are also in that list.

And fwiw, Bob Dylan actually published a book of poetry a long time ago; awful, horrendous poetry, to be sure. ;)
 

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The NYT has an interesting take on Mr. Dylan's silence, in the context of Sartre:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/26/opinion/the-meaning-of-bob-dylans-silence.html?_r=1

For almost a quarter of a century, ever since Toni Morrison won the Nobel in 1993, the Nobel committee acted as if American literature did not exist — and now an American is acting as if the Nobel committee doesn’t exist. Giving the award to Mr. Dylan was an insult to all the great American novelists and poets who are frequently proposed as candidates for the prize. The all-but-explicit message was that American literature, as traditionally defined, was simply not good enough.

But the part that I hadn't really thought about, and the meat of the article is in this bit, and the explanation that follows in the original article:

But perhaps the best way to understand his silence, and to praise it, is to go back to Sartre, and in particular to Sartre’s concept of “bad faith.”

Which is, I think, kinda what William Haskins was suggesting.
 

Xelebes

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Hm, for North American representation since Toni Morrison we had:

Alice Munro - first Canadian laureate, 2013
Sir V.S. Naipaul - first Trinidad & Tobagoan laureate, 2001

and now:

Bob Dylan, American, 2016
 

cornflake

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Bob Dylan is a dick. Also in breaking news, the sky is blue and water is wet.