MercatorNet: Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize. 1066 and all that. | MercatorNet

I would like to issue a big thank-you to the Swedes for giving Bob Dylan the Nobel Prize in Literature. Thank God we have something to argue about this week other than the failings of Donald Trump.

I’ve noticed that reactions to the news varied according to the age of the pundit. The baby-boomers are swooning. Dylan is, after all, the guardian angel of baby-boomerdom – rebellion, nostalgia, confusion, and anxiety. He captured the Zeitgeist.

But I’ve noticed that millennial critics tended to say: “Dylan, what the…? He writes songs, not poetry?! They don’t make sense without the music.” It’s odd that Dylan’s trademark surrealism and protest don’t strike a chord with a younger generation.

Anyhow, a bit like the Nobel Peace Prize, which Al Gore won for his PowerPoint skills and Barack Obama for nothing at all, the Nobel Prize in Literature is meant to provoke controversy. Let it begin. Read Martin Fitzgerald’s reaction below. 

Michael Cook 
Editor 
MERCATORNET

Why Bob Dylan is a Nobel choice By Martin Fitzgerald Of course it's literature. Of the highest order. Read the full article

In honouring Dylan, the judges have made a category error By Jen Webb The greatest living poet? Not on your nelly. Read the full article

King Harold the Great: if the English had beaten the Normans in 1066 By Charles West and Alyxandra Mattison 950 years ago today, the last successful invasion of England took place Read the full article

Your kids and the facts of life, Part 2 By Carolyn Smith and Mary Cooney An experienced mother offers great advice Read the full article

Transgender identities are not always permanent By Walt Heyer A man who lived as a woman for years shares his traumatic experience Read the full article

Some thoughts on marriage from young Chinese By Marcus Roberts An insight perhaps into why marriage is declining in China. Read the full article

Dracula’s daughter takes on the Ottoman Empire By Jennifer Minicus Yet another young adult novel full of sex and violence Read the full article

As medicine improves, how long can we expect to live? By Karl D. Stephan We seem to have a built-in expiration date of about 115 years Read the full article

All the boxes have been ticked, but single career women are still not happy By Julia Vidmar Today's young women are over-achievers and the young men are under-achievers. Read the full article

Siblings with benefits By Tamara El-Rahi A little gratitude for my siblings as I settle into motherhood. Read the full article

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