Bob Dylan wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

The news that Bob Dylan won this year's Nobel Prize in Literature is spreading around the literary world. Depending on your age and demographic, you may think this is a marvelous and radical choice that breaks down the boundaries between literary and popular culture; or you may take for granted that Dylan is a serious writer (whether you like him or not); or you may be puzzled because you think of Bob Dylan as the old guy in those car commercials. In any event, it's news that puts literature and music on the front page instead of politics, which has got to be a little bit refreshing, right?

One Fordham English faculty member who takes Bob Dylan seriously is Professor Stuart Sherman. To get a sense of why at least some literary scholars care about Bob Dylan, check out Sherman's review of a book about Dylan by poetry scholar Christopher Ricks, and another review of Dylan's own memoir.