When Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize of Literature in October, fans were shocked when he remained inexplicably silent. Eventually, he acknowledged the honor, saying, “Amazing, incredible. Who dreams about something like that.” While he did not attend the induction ceremony, his speech was delivered and Patti Smith performed in his place.
Now, Bob Dylan will formally receive his Nobel Prize of Literature in Stockholm, Sweden over the weekend. “The Swedish Academy is very much looking forward to the weekend and will show up at one of the performances,” Sara Danius, Nobel spokesperson, wrote in a statement.
“The good news is that the Swedish Academy and Bob Dylan have decided to meet this weekend. The Academy will then hand over Dylan’s Nobel diploma and the Nobel medal, and congratulate him on the Nobel Prize in Literature. The setting will be small and intimate, and no media will be present; only Bob Dylan and members of the Academy will attend, all according to Dylan’s wishes,” she added.
In addition, Dylan will deliver a taped version of his speech “at a later point.” Speeches are required by the committee, and so Dylan will fulfill this on his own time within the official 6-month period.
While he was unable to attend the ceremony due to “scheduling reasons,” he did provide an official acceptance speech that was read at the December gala by Azita Raji, United States Ambassador to Sweden.
“But there’s one thing I must say. As a performer I’ve played for 50,000 people and I’ve played for 50 people and I can tell you that it is harder to play for 50 people. 50,000 people have a singular persona, not so with 50,” Dylan wrote. “Each person has an individual, separate identity, a world unto themselves. They can perceive things more clearly. Your honesty and how it relates to the depth of your talent is tried. The fact that the Nobel committee is so small is not lost on me.”
Congratulations to Bob Dylan!
[via Rolling Stone]