Bob Dylan, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, shocked the Swedish Academy by not attending the ceremony in December to receive the honor. But he is doing some concerts in Sweden this weekend, so he has arranged to pick up the prize.
He will not, however, give the traditional lecture. The thing is, in order to get the $903,000 that goes with the medallion, he has to give the speech within six months of the December 10 award. So he has until June 10.
The Swedish Academy, which bestows the honors, says that it expects him to turn in a videotaped lecture before the deadline. That apparently counts. But it would be like Dylan to blow off the money. He may think it would be worth nearly a million dollars to avoid giving a speech. I suspect many people with a fear of public speaking can relate to that.
From At Last: Dylan to Receive Nobel Prize in Stockholm, Reuters:
Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will receive his Nobel Literature Prize diploma and medal in the next few days in Stockholm, where is he due to perform this weekend, the secretary of the Swedish Academy said on Wednesday.
The Academy’s decision to give the bard of “Blowin’ in the Wind” the literature prize caused controversy, only deepened by Dylan’s silence about the award for weeks afterwards and his no-show at the annual banquet in December.
“The good news is that the Swedish Academy and Bob Dylan have decided to meet this weekend,” Sara Danius said in a blog post. “The Academy will then hand over Dylan’s Nobel diploma and the Nobel medal, and congratulate him on the Nobel Prize in Literature.”
The 75-year-old Dylan is due to give concerts in Stockholm on April 1 and the following day and then another in the southern Swedish city of Lund on April 9.
Danius said that the notoriously media-shy Dylan would not hold the traditional Nobel lecture at this point.
“The Swedish Academy is very much looking forward to the weekend and will show up at one of the performances. Please note that no Nobel Lecture will be held,” Danius wrote.
“The Academy has reason to believe that a taped version will be sent at a later point,” she added.
In order to receive 8 million Swedish crown ($903,000) prize, Dylan needs to give a lecture within six months from Dec. 10. It does not necessarily need not be delivered in Stockholm.
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Illustration credits: Nobel Prize medallion, Sculptor and engraver: Erik Lindberg (1902), Photographer: Jonathunder (2008-11-01). Public Domain. Wikipedia. See this for licensing details.
Bob Dylan, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, shocked the Swedish Academy by not attending the ceremony in December to receive the honor. But he is doing some concerts in Sweden this weekend, so he has arranged to pick up the prize.
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