Confirmed: Bob Dylan will be a no-show at Nobel Prize ceremony
First, he didn't acknowledge the honour for weeks; now, he says he won't come to pick up the prize.
Bob Dylan was already a contentious choice for this year's Nobel Prize for Literature — simply because he's known as a singer, not a writer and numerous commentators pointed out how writers themselves aren't honoured enough — and his response to the prize has been less than gracious.
The American singer-songwriter has officially communicated to the Swedish Academy that he won't be attending the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm.
The Academy said on its website that it had received a letter from Dylan explaining that due to "pre-existing commitments" he was unable to travel to Stockholm in December, reports Reuters.
In other words, he's busy.
Twitter's had a field day with this latest development in the Nobel Prize saga:
While Dylan won't attend the ceremony, he will have to deliver the Nobel Lecture — the only requirement for winners of the $870,000 prize. And he has a deadline: "within six months counting from December 10," the Academy said in a statement.
Let's see if he makes it to this one.