Bob Dylan was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature on December 10, 2016. However, he did not actually collect it until Saturday, April 1, 2017 during a private ceremony in Stockholm. The 75-year-old singer and songwriter was there to perform concerts, and the Academy made arrangements to present the Nobel Literature diploma and medal to him. The private ceremony was held at a hotel next to the conference center where the singer was performing. That was convenient for Dylan who has been too busy to collect the award before then.
The ceremony
Klas Ostergren, a member of the Swedish Academy, indicated that Dylan wanted only a small gathering.
The ceremony was attended by twelve members of the academy and only one member of Dylan's staff. After the presentation, Dylan was pleased that he finally had the prize in his hands. However, the singer made no mention of it during his concert. The ceremony came five months after Dylan was notified he was a recipient and more than three months after the formal award ceremony had taken place.
Monetary prize
The traditional Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet took place on December 10, 2016, which was the date of Alfred Nobel's death. Dylan had other obligations on that date and did not attend to claim his prize, including a monetary amount of about $900,000. The singer and songwriter still has to give a lecture within six months from December 10.
He promised to send a recorded version of it before the deadline. The Swedish Academy said it will accept Dylan's taped lecture when it is received.
Acceptance speech
Dylan gave a short acceptance speech. He said he was honored to accept the award, and he thanked the Swedish Academy for including him among the giants of writing.
The 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature was bestowed on the songwriter because of his poetic expressions within the great American song tradition over the last five decades.
The committee announced on October 13, 2016 that Dylan was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was the first time in the history of the academy since 1901 that a musician has been given that award. On November 17, it was confirmed that Dylan would not be present in Stockholm for the ceremony on December 10 because of pre-existing commitments.
