Why Bob Dylan Matters, Revised Edition

(Paperback)

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The coolest class on campus The New York Times

When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, a debate raged. Some celebrated, while many others questioned the choice. How could the worlds most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter who wouldnt even deign to attend the medal ceremony

In Why Bob Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. Dylans Nobel Prize brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today, through his wildly popular Dylan seminaraffectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bards work.

This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomass famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic", Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylans modern relevance, while interpreting and decoding Dylans lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume on Dylan in decades, Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylans work for the Dylan neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike. Youll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.

Reviews

"A highly informed, yet intimately personal celebration of one of our most important living writers." -- NPR

"A nimble gloss on Dylan's lyric genius."
-- USA Today

"A masterstroke of literary detective work . . . and an exciting examination of an artist's enigmatic mind." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Masterful, fun, passionate, learned, profound, and there's nothing like it. Thomas shows why Dylan deserves his Nobel--and how he hearkens back to, and enlists, the classics. Fantastic reading, full of gems." -- Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University

Author Bio

Richard F. Thomas is George Martin Lane Professor of the Classics at Harvard University, a Bob Dylan expert, and the creator for a freshman seminar at Harvard on Bob Dylan.