Takes on Bob Dylan’s 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature
Bob Dylan had 7 clues in Jeopardy! between April and October 2016:
10/03/2016 THE “TIMES” OF YOUR LIFE $1600: In the 2007 film “I’m Not There” Mason Jennings sings this classic Bob Dylan tune
09/26/2016 THE SINGING “B” $400: They flew to the top of the charts in 1965 with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”
09/14/2016 THE HITMAKER $1600: 1966: “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”
7/29/2016 WORKING WITH A BEATLE $1600: “Handle with Care”! Along with George, this ’80s group featured Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty & Bob Dylan
6/24/2016 CONNECT 4 $400: “Blowin’ In The Wind”, “I Want You”, “Jokerman”, “Not Dark Yet”
5/25/2016 THE COLLEGE’S ALUMNI $400: Bob Dylan, Jessica Lange, Hubert Humphrey
4/21/2016 LITERARY NEW YORK CITY $1200: Suze Rotolo’s “A Freewheelin’ Time” is a memoir of her life in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene with this boyfriend
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There were 4 clues about the Nobel Prize in Literature between January and October 2016
10/07/2016 LITERARY FACTS $2,000: The first Bombay-born winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1907, he wasn’t Hindi
09/23/2016 REMEMBERING WORLD WAR I $800: Even before the U.S. entry into the war, Americans were volunteering to drive Red Cross ambulances; one such adventurer was this 18-year-old, who was badly wounded in a mortar attack in Italy, nearly costing the U.S. a future Nobel Prize in Literature
09/14/2016 AWARDS FOR WRITING $400: Won in 2015 by Svetlana Alexievich, it’s handed out annually by the Swedish Academy
01/19/2016 LITERATURE $800: Born in Bombay in 1865, in 1907 he became the first British writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature
Answers show
He declined the invitation to accept the prize in Stockholm. I guess he had a good reason.
I think he said it conflicted with his schedule.
VJ, thanks for the link. I think that is funny. Dylan probably fainted imo and it took some time for the reality to ring true.
I didn’t realize Joan was 75. She is ageless.
It was funny to me because when I see a headline like that, I assume they are paraphrasing what was really said for a sensational headline, but in this case, she really said it. ha ha ha
Bob Dylan has finally spoken out about his Nobel Prize and said he was speechless according to the media today. I can imagine he was speechless. Such a deserving award for a talented human being.
Yeah, I saw that — after I saw a bunch of earlier bad headlines getting on his case for not immediately acknowledging the honor. My favorite was Joan Baez. She said his manners suck but he deserves the award. LOL!
Glad I noticed that you posted this, VJ, thanks for the link. Nice interview with a folk icon.
The lyricist who really deserves the Nobel prize for literature is Stephen Sondheim. That he has not received it yet is just wrong.
VJ, thanks for excellent research. Regarding Bob Dylan winning the Nobel prize I have to go with “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” If the Committee felt him to be deserving “so be it.”
As for the criticisms, I have to go with a Chinese proverb you had on Spoiler Talk not too long ago “Talk don’t cook rice.”
Thanks Rhonda., I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post. To answer your question about Dylan being compared to Homer and Sappho, I think that’s a bit much.
I’m not a poetry snob, but I would compare Dylan to Paul Simon myself and the winner would be Simon. Here’s a 2011 article (well before all this happened) that agrees
As much as I love Dylan, I agree with you about the comparison to the Greek poets, VJ. That was a bit over the top for me, too.
I’ve not paid much attention to either singer (Dylan or Simon), but have to agree with you and the article, VJ. Based on a few songs I know from both, I don’t find any of Dylan’s song lyrics as poetic as Simon’s.
Oh, and IMO, Dylan has nothing on Cohen. But parroting Jacob, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, (OK, whoever said that).
Thanks so much for putting so much work into this. You always go out of your way for us and we are so fortunate to have you! A fun and interesting read.