Because the Swedish Academy has given up trying to reach Nobel Prize in Literature awardee Bob Dylan, rumors surfaced through a satire news site that the folk singer has rejected the award. The article has become viral in China.
Jiemian, a media platform, produced the article as a satire or “onion news” – a reference to The Onion, a satire new site in the US. However, many Chinese netizens thought the article was genuine and reposted it on Chinese social media sites, Global Times reported.
Chinese netizens praised Dylan for allegedly announcing his refusal to accept the prize in a New York press conference. It even quoted Albert Grosman, the singer’s agent, who has been dead for decades now, as saying, “It was a difficult decision.”
The article claims that Europeans, by awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature to Dylan, an American musician, they are trying to hold back American literature. It became viral after several subscription services on the WeChat platform of Tencent picked up the article which reached a broader audience.
Huang Wen, a Chinese writer, in a comment posted on Sina Weibo, explained that many people wanted to see Dylan refuse the award “so that such a heroic life as his would be perfect.” The sentiments of many Chinese netizens on the issue was summed up in one post which reads: “Bob Dylan does not need a Nobel Prize to prove himself.”
Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Nobel academy, disclosed that after having called and sent emails to Dylan’s closest collaborator and got very friendly replies, Nobel is not doing anything beyond that to get in touch with Bob Dylan.
On the night the Nobel announced Dylan as the awardee in Literature, he was holding a concert in Las Vegas and did not mention the accolade the academy has given him, Guardian reports.