Campaign Committee
Press Secretary
Reidar IndrebØ NO-6983 KVAMMEN, Norway Tlf. +47 577 31737 Mob +47 97 66 54 01 Mail: r.indreboe@c2i.net (revised 24 May, 2002)
Please send printed articles to the Committee.
January 23, 1999
Dear Nobel Committee:
On behalf of the Campaign Committee of Mr. Gunnar Lunde and
Mr. Reidar Indrebo (Angedalsvn. 37, 6800 Forde, Norway), I wish
to nominate once more Mr. Bob Dylan of the United States for the
next Nobel Prize in Literature. Here are a few reasons why:
1. There is considerable precedence for him to receive the
prize. In 1997 it was given to another distiguished creator,
whose drama, like Dylan's lyrics and music, depends on performance
for full realization. Over half a dozen dramatists have received
the Nobel Prize for Literature.
His blend of poetry and social consciousness with music is
entirely appropriate for Nobel recognition. His songs from the
early 1960s to the present have been passionately concerned with
civil rights, world peace, the preservation of the environment, and
other crucial global causes. He has been acclaimed by presidents,
poets, professors, and -- in almost countless numbers -- "common"
people. That his pertinent and profound subject matter and wording
are matched by his musical prowess should be considered
appropriate, not strange, for a Nobel Prize in Literature. Of
William Butler Yeats, Nobel Committee Chairman Per Hallström said
in awarding him the 1923 Prize, "There is a greater element of song
than is usual in Modern English poetry." Yeats himself proclaimed
of an earlier recipient, Rabindranath Tagore, that "He is as great
in music as in poetry." And he prophesied of Tagore's verses,
"...travellers will hum them on the highway and men rowing upon
rivers. Lovers... [will be] murmuring them." In fact, Dylan's
memorable lyrics are given such forms of appreciation the world
over.
2. For nearly four decades his work has had, and con -
tinues to have, a major and positive impact on the world:
it has changed it for the better.
His words and music have helped restore the vital, time -
honored link between poetry and music, and have so permeated
the world as to alter its history. When Dylan's work first
appeared in the U.S. alone, it validated the imagination and
independence of thought in what had been an era of conformity and
denial: it empowered a vast generational change. That his lyrics
are of considerable literary value is suggested not only by the
recent conference at Stanford but by their inclusion in numerous
reference and text books.
3. Even in the last year, Mr. Dylan has won increasing
distinction and honors. He has released a strong new album (Time
Out Of Mind), rich with inspired, powerful lyrics, some of which
chart the changes that come with aging and the passage of time:
they are evocative, perceptive, revealing. He has performed for
the Pope, who quoted at some length from his lyrics. He has
received one of American's highest cultural honors from our Kennedy
Center, and his oeuvre was the subject last year of an academic
conference at one of our most prestigious centers of learning,
Stanford University.
I continue to hear the inspiring words, unique voice, and
extraordinary music of Bob Dylan emanate from cadets' rooms in the
barracks at the military school where I teach.
I remain grateful for your consideration of Mr. Dylan for the
next Nobel Prize in Literature.
Sincerely
Gordon Ball
Professor of English and Fine Arts
Campaign Committee
Press Secretary
Reidar IndrebØ
NO-6983 KVAMMEN, Norway
Tlf. +47 577 31737
Mob +47 97 66 54 01
Mail: r.indreboe@c2i.net (revised 24 May, 2002)
Please send printed articles to the Committee.