Fifty years ago a man shocked the world when he plugged in an electric guitar isolating the folk purists. For many years he, without fail, continued to surprise people by selling countless records with enigmatic and dense songwriting. And now, he has won the Noble Prize in literature. It’s none other then the versatile poet Mr. Bob Dylan. This was the first time a musician was awarded with a noble prize. Giving this award to Mr. Dylan started off a debate on whether lyrics of a song are as much artistic as a novel or a poem.

According to the world newspapers, some very popular writers like Joyce Carol Oates, Salman Rushdie and Stephen King celebrated this achievement and called it a great decision. But some were not in a mood to appreciate this decision as, they believe, song-writing cannot be as superior as literature.

Bob Dylan’s Influences

Bob Dylan has always said that his songs are a result of some or the other influence. The likes of The Kinks and Woody Guthrie never failed to impress and influence him. Musicians appreciated his choices and likes with further motivated him to do better in music.

Mr. Dylan’s strong personality is loved by all the Presidents of USA and studied by the professors of Oxford University and yet after winning the prize, instead of attending a news conference he chose to perform at a theatre in Las Vegas.

US newspapers say that he has always shown interest in poetry. Even his music is also influenced by incredible poets like Ezra Pound, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine. He used to do poetry as well. In 1971, his poetry collection ‘Tarantula’ gained him a lot of fan following.

The scholars of literature have always argued about Mr. Dylan’s role in poetry, but, when it comes to music his role is unbeatable. There are n number of books that praise his music and him. The poetry books of Cambridge University and Oxford University carry his poems in their poetry books. Mr. Dylan’s noble prize has also helped in bridging gaps between the commercial forms of art and high art.

Earlier publishers and writers used to complain that the noble prize was given to those who were, in some way or the other, attached to the popular figures. But by choosing someone who is known for his work, it’s been proved that the noble prize is given only to those who are capable of making a difference.

This is not the first time that the face of literature is changing. World newspapers say that it happened in 1953 as well when Winston Churchill was given this prize for his perfect use of literature in speeches. Mr. Churchill was one of those who never made a mistake when it came to giving speeches. He was known for this attribute of his.

Coming back to Mr. Dylan, Noble Prize is one of the many honours that came his way such as the Golden Globe awards, Grammy and Academy awards. In 1988, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included his name. Again in 2012, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom.