Bob Dylan commanded to say that he was amazed to win the Nobel – Diário de Notícias – Lisbon

First author-composer to receive the prize sent out the speech written for Stockholm

The Nobel prize in Literature, Bob Dylan was honored and amazed by the award, in a speech that was read today by the ambassador of the United States in Sweden, in the banquet of the awards ceremony in Stockholm.

“If someone had told me that I had a chance to win the Nobel Prize, I would have thought that my opportunities were so great as to be on the moon,” wrote Bob Dylan, the first songwriter to receive the prize.

This speech, which was read by the ambassador of the United States at the banquet of the ceremony of delivery of Nobel Prizes, which Bob Dylan did not attend, turned out to be the first time that the musician thanked formally to the Swedish Academy for having awarded the Nobel prize for Literature.

“No time, I had time to ask myself, ‘Will my music literature?’”, said Dylan, confessing that joining names such as Thomas Mann, Albert Camus and Ernest Hemingway, among others, “is beyond words”.

And, addressing the Swedish Academy, thanked him for “taking the time to consider this question” and, in the last analysis, “for responding so wonderful”.

Bob Dylan has justified the absence from the awards ceremony with “other commitments”, but, in his speech, lamented not being in Stockholm.

Still, said to be in place “in the spirit” and “honored” with the award.