Bob Dylan is the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. One of the world's most prestigious literature prizes will be given to someone most people of my age (I'm 22) associate with concerts grandfathers dig.According to Sara Danius, permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy, the singer/songwriter/ex-boyfriend of Edie Sedgwick wins the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". And American song tradition is, as we all know, the song tradition of the pop cultural world.
Annons
Naturally, the Swedish Academy/Bob Dylan love story has
sparked some online debate, so I wanted to know what people think IRL (and make their opinions available online).VICE: Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize. What do you think about that? Josef Forselius, 25, Stylist: A bit old farty-ish? Has he even written anything?Lyrics, I guess. Who do you think should have won?
Gosh, the world has so many other relevant authors that never get a voice in this kind of settings. I mean, they could have used this massive platform to actually lift someone who needs the attention.
What do you think about Bob Dylan winning the Nobel prize in literature? Jacob Issa, 32, Waiter: It's unexpected.
It sure was.
I didn't even know he wrote?
Music?
Oh, so he's won it for his music?Well, kind of. For his lyrics and expressions.
Fair enough.
Bob Dylan just won the Nobel prize in literature. Danira Zeric Törnqvist, 19, Cashier: What. Really?Yep.
Well, in that case, I mean, I haven't read anything he's written, so I don't really know what I think about it. I mean he does music, right? Is he writing books now?He's won for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".
OK, well, that feels reasonable.
Bob Dylan just won the Nobel prize in literature. Josefine Sjöstrom, 19, Works at Lush: No way.How does that make you feel?
That's dope! He's, like, the first Nobel Prize winner who I actually know who he is. I think it's good that he's also someone that younger people know about because I think it's important to involve the youth's perspective on how we view elite culture. It's usually only old men [who win] who aren't that interesting. I mean, Dylan is an old man, but at least he's interesting.
