An update on last week's article, the Nobel Committee has stopped attempting to contact Bob Dylan. After his recent win of the Nobel Literature Prize, the musician has provided no comment on it, nor has he the acknowledged it. The Committee has attempted to contact Bob Dylan directly, but has received no word from him.
The Committee says that Dylan will still receive the award, whether or not he attends the ceremony or chooses to accept it. Other than a concert in Las Vegas after his win, Bob Dylan has made no other public appearances since being named a Nobel winner. He has not publicly discussed the award. This news arrives after some controversy over the Prize being awarded to Dylan. Although he is not the first musician to be awarded the Prize, he is a well-known musician who has influenced pop culture. Many people worry that this will open the Literature Prize up for less influential artists and limit the number of other "more deserving" authors who receive the award. The Nobel Literature Prize can be much more beneficial to a little-known author than it can be to a world-famous musician.
According to the New York Times, a committee member called Dylan's lack of response "impolite and arrogant." and that "We [the committee] has agreed not to lift a finger. The ball lies entirely on his half. You can speculate as much as you want but we don't." Some share the committee member's frustration, while others praise Dylan's decision to ignore the prize. At the moment, some can only wonder what Dylan's reasons are as to why he has chosen to ignore such a prestigious prize. He will not be the first, however, who has chosen to ignore or refuse a Nobel Prize.
