Dylan never touched me deeply, but like most people, I grew up involved with his sounds and lyrics at some level. He's been an intrinsic part of the social, sonic and verbal ambience of the past 50 years. His production has been enormous, his versatility and endurance remarkable. If it's 'genius' to represent the spirit of the age, then maybe he's a genius. 

At first I thought that perhaps there should be a Nobel Prize for music, which might be more appropriate, because it seemed to me that the literary task is very different from that of a singer/songwriter. However, the reason given by the Committee changed my mind. I think he has indeed "created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". You could, of course, also say that Eminem has done that, and many others, but Dylan has proved himself relevant, durable, meaningful, clever and liberating over time, even improving in some ways, I think. The way so many people speak of him, it's as if he's a kind of abiding poetic brother for a multitude.

On 14 October 2016 at 16:52, Tim Allen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I watched that too and was actually impressed by her performance - I can see why she is popular. She has the occasional good line too but you really need to listen carefully to catch them. Unfortunately the musical framing is not one I've ever been enthused by, but that's my failing not hers.

On 14 Oct 2016, at 16:08, Jeffrey Side wrote:

I saw Kate Tempest on TV recently performing some of her work, and was struck by how much it reminded me of the poets I saw at these 1990s readings. Yet she is held by some to be some sort of new “poetic hope”. 

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Máighréad Medbh
42 Boroimhe Alder,
Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Web: www.maighreadmedbh.ie 
Phone: 353 87 2894744
Poet, Writer.
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Most Recent Books:
Savage Solitude
http://www.dedaluspress.com/auth/76
Pagan to the Core
http://www.maighreadmedbh.ie/published-books.htm#pagan

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