Breaking his silence after a fortnight, the legendary American singer has said he will "of course" accept the Nobel Prize. But the Nobel Foundation has yet to confirm his attendance at the ceremony in December.
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American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has finally accepted the Nobel Prize for literature awarded earlier this month, the Swedish Academy said in a statement published Friday.
"If I accept the prize? Of course," Dylan told Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, over the phone.
"The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless," he added. "I appreciate the honor so much."
However, the Nobel Foundation said Dylan had yet to formally confirm his attendance at the award-granting ceremony in December.
"It has not yet been decided if Bob Dylan will attend any events during the Nobel Week in Stockholm," the foundation said, adding that it would share the information "as soon as it is available."
Weeks of silence
On October 13, the academy announced that Dylan won the Nobel Prize in literature "for having created new poetic expressions with the great American song tradition."
The notoriously media-shy artist did not respond to the announcement for weeks, despite multiple attempts by Nobel officials to contact him, prompting one of the judges to label Dylan "impolite and arrogant."
But in an interview published Friday, Dylan told the British daily "The Telegraph" that he would "absolutely" show up to the official banquet "if it's at all possible."
Bob Dylan: Stations of a legendary career
Over six decades of iconic songs: Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan also left his mark as an activist, an actor and a Nobel Prize winner.
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The protest singer
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan are connected by more than protest against the establishment. The two were once a couple. In 1963 they made a joint appearance at the civil rights march in Washington.
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The actor
Calling Bob Dylan a folk or rock singer would be describing only part of his personality. Dylan is more like a total work of art, a cultural treasure of American society, who is an iconic protest figure and actor, as well. In 1973 he appeared in the movie "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid."
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The activist
When his live touring schedule allows, Dylan has always turned towards benefit performances. In this photo from 1971, he appears with ex-Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison, performing in Madison Square Garden for 40,000 people. The concert proceeds of $250,000 went directly to the young country of Bangladesh, torn by civil war.
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The 'never-ending' performer
Bob Dylan remains active on stage. Although his "Never Ending Tour" was interrupted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been in progress since 1988. The 79-year-old also released his 39th studio album in June 2020, the critically-acclaimed "Rough and Rowdy Ways," which came 58 years after the release of his debut album, "Bob Dylan."
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The prize winner
Bob Dylan has two honorary doctorates and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 in recognition of his enormous influence on pop culture. In 2012, US President Barack Obama awarded him the country's highest civil distinction: the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He also became a Nobel Prize laureate in 2016.
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The dealmaker
In December 2020, Universal Music bought the entire back catalog of Bob Dylan's songs, a deal covering more than 600 song copyrights and spanning the singer-songwriter's 60-year career. The music company did not reveal the financial details of what it described as "one of the most important" music publishing agreements of all time, but reports estimate it was a "nine-figure deal."
