The Swedish Academy announced Thursday that American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
BREAKING 2016 #NobelPrize in Literature to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great Am… https://t.co/foaLULqJhl
The news came as a surprise to many people, but some were upset by the choice:
My feelings on the literature #NobelPrize can be summed up by the 🙄emoji. What a day for white bros who don't read!
I love me some Bob Dylan but I'm kinda bummed about him winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Still processing Bob Dylan winning Nobel Prize in Literature. So many deserving novelists.... https://t.co/QuplHY4Fhl
I'm a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies.
Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize for Literature? What's next, Derek Jeter wins a Tony for his rice pilaf???
I totally get the Nobel committee. Reading books is hard.
Literature takes up so much cultural bandwidth its a shame. If only there were more ways for musicians to be recognized. #NobelPrize
Some people made jokes about the Nobel committee's decision:
Nobel prize judges: "Shall we give it to an obscure Belarussian again?" *silence* "Well it *would* be quite cool to get to meet Bob Dylan"
Bob Dylan didn't win the Nobel Prize for Literature until 2016 because it took 50 years for the committee to figure out what he was saying.
I'm happy for Bob Dylan. #ButDoesThisMeanICanWinAGrammy?
Dylan: "thank you, I thought I'd do my speech as a song" [song starts] [horrified silence] Committee member: is this the right Bob Dylan
But others, including novelist Salman Rushdie, thought the award was well-deserved.
From Orpheus to Faiz,song & poetry have been closely linked. Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition.Great choice. #Nobel
I'm sure many people will have interesting reactions to Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize. Mine was to burst into a huge smile. Good enough.
Well, one thing's for sure: 2016 is certainly proving that the times are a-changin'.
The fact that Bob Dylan is trending because he won a Nobel prize, and not, like, because he was murdered by a clown is honestly a blessing.