April 7: Bob Dylan was awarded Honorary Pulitzer Prize in 2008
Bob Dylan was awarded with the special citation on Monday, April 7, making history as the first rock and roll artist to be honored. Singer, songwriter, author, musician, and poet was recognized for his:
“… profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.”
– Pulitzer Price Official site“We didn’t just look up one afternoon and say, ‘Why don’t we give this to Dylan?’ There’s a history there, and a lot of deliberation and effort to figure out who would be truly worthy.”
Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzers.“There’s something unsettling about Mr. Dylan being awarded a Pulitzer Prize, but why do we want to be settled?”
Christopher Ricks (author, Dylan’s Vision of sin)
Well, he deserved it. Fans, critics and academics have obsessed over his lyrics since the mid 60s. Thanks to him Rock’n Roll got the attention and reckognition worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.
“His songs include countless biblical references and he has claimed Chekhov, Walt Whitman and Jack Kerouac as influences. His memoir, “Chronicles, Volume One,” received a National Book Critics Circle nomination in 2005 and is widely acknowledged as the rare celebrity book that can be treated as literature.”
– Billboard
Bob Dylan: Honors and Inductions:
| Year | Title | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Tom Paine Award | Honors |
| 1970 | Princeton University, New Jersey | Honorary Doctorate of Music |
| 1982 | Songwriters Hall of Fame | Inducted |
| 1990 | Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres | Honors |
| 1997 | Kennedy Center Honors | Honors |
| 1997 | The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize | Recipient |
| 2000 | Polar Music Prize | Winner |
| 2002 | Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame | Inducted |
| 2004 | St. Andrews University, Scotland | Honorary Doctorate of Music |
| 2007 | Prince of Asturias Awards | Winner |
| 2008 | Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards | Winner |
| 2009 | National Medal of Arts | Honors |
| 2012 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Recipient |
| 2013 | Officier de la Legion d’honneur | Recipient |
– Hallgeir
Thankful for Bob Dylan inspiring so many of us to be alert and be present and be ourselves. If there is a prize for this it should have his name on it. There is no other contemporary artist with that much influence on so many lives.