Songwriter Bob Dylan wins nobel literature prize

LOS ANGELES, United States (Kurdistan24) – American songwriter Bob Dylan on Thursday was awarded the 2016 Nobel Literature Prize for his powerful contribution to music.

The announcement of the prize was a surprise because for the first time a singer-songwriter was declared the winner when traditionally poets, novelists, and short story writers are recognized.

The Swedish Academy offered eight million Swedish crowns ($930,000 USD) prize to Dylan, saying he has “the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound.”

Celebrated for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, Dylan is regarded as the voice of his generation.

The 75-year-old is the first American to win the prize, after the renowned writer Toni Morrison, for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” 

With his rasping voice, Dylan has been writing songs and going on tours for 50 years.

Reuters reported the announcement was met with gasps in Stockholm’s stately Royal Academy Hall, followed – unusually – by some laughter.

In 2013, journalist Bill Wyman argued Dylan deserved the award because his “work remains utterly lacking in conventionality, moral sleight of hand, pop pabulum or sops to his audience.”

“His lyricism is exquisite; his concerns and subjects are demonstrably timeless; and few poets of any era have seen their work bear more influence,” Wyman stated.

The Nobel Prize is awarded for achievements in Peace, Medicine, Chemistry, Economic Sciences and Literature.

The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature, and peace according to his will.

Winston Churchill, Thomas Mann, and Rudyard Kipling are among the Nobel laureates.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany