THE only surprise about Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize for Literature is that is has taken so long to be awarded.
Perhaps the reason for the delay is that many who were young in the 1960s but went on to become influential figures did not manage to forgive him for “going electric” in the summer of 1965.
That is obviously a long time ago but the bitterness of the moment lives on for some who insisted that he had shed his artistic integrity and that he had betrayed his supposed folk music purity.
Read more: Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in literature
Others found it hard to forgive him for his extended flirtation with fundamentalist Christianity. Too few people respected him for what he was: a creative artist of authentic genius who was experimenting, developing, moving on.
The phrase “an artist who reinvents himself and his music” is over-used but if it can be truthfully applied to anyone that person must be Dylan.
In the early 1960s Dylan carried many burdens. He was regarded variously as a prophet, as the spokesman for an angry and confused generation and, for the wise few, a poet who just put his poetry into songs, some of them universally popular, some of them wilfully obscure.
Now that these bitter controversies are it is time to respect him for what he is: simply the supreme figure in the popular culture of the second half or the20th century.
Read more: Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in literature
I am conscious that this might read a little like an elegy.
The important point to make about Dylan is that people will be talking about him and appreciating his creative output, encompassing wonderful lyricism and obsessively eclectic musicianship, 100 years from now; of that I am absolutely certain.
Harry Reid is a former editor of The Herald.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel