Michael Kovac/WireImageBob Dylan has continued to confound officials of the Swedish Academy, which presents the Nobel Prizes, by ignoring their attempts to contact him with regard to his being chosen to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Interestingly, a line acknowledging that Dylan had been awarded the prize that had been posted on his official website last week — alongside a link to purchase a book compiling his lyrics — has now been removed.
Since the honor was announced on October 13, the singer/songwriter has released no statement about the award, although messages reporting that he’d been chosen to receive the prize were posted on his Facebook and Twitter pages.
This past Friday, one of the Swedish Academy members, author Per Wästberg, spoke with Swedish public television station SVT and criticized Dylan’s decision to ignore attempts to contact him.
“I think it’s fair to say that his reaction so far has been rude and arrogant,” Wästberg said. “He is who is.”
Wästberg also revealed that the Swedish Academy wouldn’t continue to try to get in touch with Dylan about whether he plans to attend the Nobel ceremony, which is scheduled for December 10 in Stockholm.
“We will sit back and wait. He will either show up, in which case he will be welcomed,” the author said. “Or else he won’t show up — and in that case we will arrange something else during the banquet. Either way — he is still a laureate.”
Wästberg also commented about the Nobel acknowledgement being removed from Dylan’s website, noting, “That was hardly surprising. He seems to be a very grumpy and reluctant man.”
Dylan, 75, is the first musician ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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