"Why Bob Dylan Matters" by Richard F. Thomas?

Has anyone here read this book?

If you have read it, what are your thoughts? Would you recommend it?

Why Bob Dylan Matters

When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, a debate raged. Some celebrated, while many others questioned the choice. How could the world’s most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter who wouldn’t even deign to attend the medal ceremony?

In Why Bob Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. Dylan’s Nobel Prize brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today, through his wildly popular Dylan seminar—affectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"—Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bard’s work.

This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomas’s famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic?", Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan’s modern relevance, while interpreting and decoding Dylan’s lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume on Dylan in decades, Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylan’s work for the Dylan neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike. You’ll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.

 

I haven't read it but you've got me interested.

 

I'm just finishing it up. I'm a big Dylan fan, but put off reading it because it seemed such an over-the-top exercise in Dylan pontification. But I've really enjoyed it. The author does a great job of describing Dylan as an heir to the classical tradition who just happens to be a pop star. That's too simplified of a description, but Thomas is an expert on both Dylan and Ovid (among others) and I've come away with an even greater appreciation for Dylan's genius.