It is unfortunate that the decision of the Swedish Academy to award the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature to Bob Dylan has developed very quickly into a stormy and aggressive debate (Weekend ‘Reading’ page – “ > Learning with Bob Dylan ”, Oct.16). Much of the criticism is about how the committee had lowered the Nobel’s standing by equating pop lyrics with serious literature. Most song lyrics are not poetry, and can look trite on a page without the accompanying music. But in Bob Dylan we have always had an exception. Not many have blended art, philosophy, social issues and everyday life into a single lyrical narrative so exquisitely as Dylan has.
K. Venkata Reddy,
Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh
