Well the award is not without controversy, and it's set the internet abuzz, fer sherr. There are a lot of wisecracks along the lines of, 'Yeah, reading books is too hard, so let's just give the prize to a rock star.' And 'Maybe we should put Salman Rushdie in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.'
Rushdie tweeted congrats to Dylan, saying the decision was the right one.
In an interesting coincidence, the novel generally regarded as THE greatest ever written,
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, has received no Nobel, probably because it predates Alfred Nobel's prize by about 3 centuries. But soon it will be a Disney Movie. So take that, literary purists!
Anyone who hasn't yet read this week's long New Yorker piece by David Remnick about Leonard, DO read it! It's great!
There's a long portion where Remnick talks with Dylan about Cohen! And Dylan analyzes the music and poetry, and goes on at length about his admiration and respect for Cohen...I'd known that Bob and Leonard had crossed paths briefly, but I never knew they hung out at each other's houses or drove up the coast together...well, it's a mighty good read, especially in light of today's news.
In closing, I haven't seen any direct comment or reaction from Dylan himself. Has anyone else? If so, linky please and thanks.
And what about Leonard? Has he offered any public comment?
