For an artist who has released 37 albums and written (or co-written) 522 songs, it would seem unusual for Bob Dylan to be at a loss for words.
https://youtu.be/FS-ADKh1JmE
But the 75-year-old singer-songwriter said he was “speechless” when he was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature. Dylan said “of course” he would accept the prize, the Swedish Academy said.
The academy’s permanent secretary, Sara Danius, told The Associated Press that Dylan contacted them to confirm he would accept the prize. Danius told Sweden’s TT news agency that Dylan called her Tuesday evening and they spoke for about 15 minutes.
“The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless,” Dylan told Danius, according to a statement posted Friday on the academy’s website. “I appreciate the honor so much.”
It is unclear whether Dylan will attend any Nobel events in Stockholm in December, Danius said.
Dylan at first was silent after the announcement, prompting a member of the Swedish Academy to call it “impolite and arrogant,” the AP reported.
Dylan has accepted many awards through the years, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for which he attended a White House ceremony in 2012.
