The row between the Swedish Academy and musician Bob Dylan over his Nobel Prize in Literature is finally over. On Saturday, Dylan said he is accepting the award, although it is not definite yet if he would be physically present on Dec. 10 to receive it.
It was Dylan who called Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the academy, to confirm he would accept the prize. He called her on Tuesday evening when they talked for 15 minutes, Associated Press reported.
The musician was quoted as telling Danius, “The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless … I appreciate the honor so much.”
Until Tuesday, the award was wrapped in controversy because some quarters question why the Nobel Prize in Literature was bestowed on a musician and not a writer. And then Dylan did not communicate with the academy when it reached out to inform him of the prize.
Dylan initially added that he was named a Nobel laureate on his website, but after a few hours removed the mention. The academy decided to award the 75-year-old musician for his creation of new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.
If Dylan would want to come to Stockholm to receive the award, Danius said the academy would do all it could to have a scheduled sitting with Dylan. The Telegraph reported that the musician absolutely wants to attend the award ceremony on Dec. 10 “if it’s at all possible.”
Taking time to acknowledge awards is a trademark of Dylan. It was also the case when he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 which he received in the White House. In 2013, the American Academy of Arts and Letters made him an honorary member in January, but he responded through his manager with the academy only in May.
Previous awardees of the Nobel Prize in Literature include George Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. The award includes a check for £750,000 from King Carl VI Gustaf.