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Post by Admin on Nov 18, 2016 19:25:32 GMT
Bob Dylan will not travel to Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize for Literature in person, the Swedish Academy announced in a statement Wednesday. In a letter to the organization, which awards the Nobel prizes, Dylan explained he is unable to attend the ceremony in Stockholm next month due to "pre-existing commitments." Dylan, the Swedish Academy said, "feels very honored" by the award and wishes he could be there in person to receive it. The organization added that there have been other Nobel laureates in the past who were unable to attend the ceremony -- and the prize is still awarded. The only requirement is that Dylan present a Nobel Lecture within six months.
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Post by Admin on Nov 20, 2016 19:27:35 GMT
I still remember the first time I saw Bob Dylan perform: Aug. 28, 1963. It was the day of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. I was in the U.S. Air Force and watched the event on a grainy black-and-white TV in my barrack’s day room. My buddies and I were eager to see Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as Joan Baez and Mahalia Jackson. We were surprised when actor Ossie Davis introduced Bob Dylan. So this was the composer of “Blowing in the Wind,” already a hit on AM radio. In front of the gathered multitude, Dylan’s gravelly voice introduced his “Only a Pawn in Their Game.” For the mixed audience, the lyrics spoke of more than the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers. His aim was more inclusive — of how the powers that be had victimized and used poor blacks and whites as pawns.
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2017 19:11:58 GMT
It’s no secret that Bob Dylan wasn’t very excited about winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. It took him weeks to even acknowledge the accolade and he skipped out on attending the celebratory gala due to “scheduling conflicts.” While in Stockholm over the weekend for a pair of concerts, the legendary singer-songwriter finally received his Nobel Prize during a private ceremony. Only 12 members of the Nobel Academy and Dylan’s personal staff were allowed to attend the event, according to the Guardian. For his part, Dylan hastily entered the ceremony through the backdoor wearing a black hoodie. Once inside, “Quite a bit of time was spent looking closely at the gold medal, in particular the beautifully crafted back, an image of a young man sitting under a laurel tree who listens to the Muse,” Sara Danius, the academy’s permanent secretary told the Guardian. “Spirits were high. Champagne was had,” she added.
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