Times they are a Changin

The 2019 Nobel Prize awards are being announced. I remember when Bob Dylan won his Nobel Prize three years ago. In 2016, Dylan received a Nobel Prize in Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” At the time, Harvard offered a seminar called “Bob Dylan,” and the professor and students there celebrated with cup cakes.

Many critics opposed giving this award to a songwriter. But the beloved Joyce Carol Oates tweeted: “Inspired &; original choice…. His haunting music &; lyrics have always seemed, in the deepest sense, literary.” Early on, the young Joan Baez recognized Dylan’s ear and talent for poetry and writing. They even teamed up as both songwriters and singers.

Tumultuous times

I wondered if this award was also prophetic during these tumultuous times of unrest and uncertainty. Bob Dylan was not only an influential song writer and poet, but also an activist.  Two of his best known songs are “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They are a-Changin.” These songs became the anthems for civil rights and anti-war movements. When Dylan was asked about how the words and music came to him he replied coyly: ”I just wrote them. I think they came from the wellspring of creativity.”

A prophetic pen:

It was fitting that, when politicians were “blocking the hall” and there was a very real “battle raging outside,” the power of Dylan’s lyrics should be awarded this high prize. He prophesied with his pen and a mighty pen it was.

A little bit about Alfred Nobel:

Alfred Nobel had broad cultural interests. During his early youth, he developed literary interests which lasted throughout his life. His library consisted of a broad selection of literature in different languages.  Literature was the fourth prize area Nobel mentioned in his will.  There have been 119 Nobel Laureates in Literature awarded since 1901. This puts Dylan in the company of such great literary figures as T.S. Eliot, Harold Pinter, William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Doris Lessing, Eugene O’Neill, Thomas Mann, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and many others.