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Back in 2016, Bob Dylan made headlines for being the first-ever musician to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
It was the buzz of the literary community as people were torn between celebrating the American icon or questioning the choice of the Nobel committee.
But what’s with all the buzz?
Well, one being that Bob Dylan is mostly recognised as a musician rather than a writer, compared to the rest of the 2016 nominees.
In fact, the award was expected to go to either Japanese novelist, Haruki Murakami, Syrian poet, Adonis, or American novelist, Philip Roth.
So when it went to the musician, people questioned whether he “deserved” it compared to the other “serious” writers in the contender list.
However, we should not be judging whether or not someone is “worthy” enough to win an award because of how they’re recognised, rather we should be looking at the quality of their work.
Your journal entries could very well be song lyrics
In that case, Dylan has written many songs in his lifetime that appealed not only to the masses but also to critics alike.
In general, his lyrics more often than not have literary allusions and poetic influences that can hold its own even on paper.
However, he makes his work accessible and palatable by pairing it with music and turning it into a performance.
Sometimes when you can create things unintentionally
In fact, by awarding this prize to Dylan, the Nobel committee recognises that poetry can come in all different forms and no longer only considering the poems that exist in traditional forms.
So we should be excited about how the committee wants to actively keep up with the times and are welcoming new forms of what is considered poetry.
This award celebrates positively, what the core of poetry is about and that is how precise language can evoke emotions, imaginations, and awareness through just specific usage of arranged sound and rhythm.
Start songwriting on your notebook
In short, this win proves that you don’t have to be recognised as a professional full-time writer for your works to be considered as poetry. So, go ahead and start writing on that notebook of yours!
If Dylan did not intend to create poetry when he was writing his lyrics, what is stopping you from exploring the form and seeing what you can come up with?
Take this opportunity to write a song, a verse, or even a chorus and who knows? Maybe you are the next unexpected winner that’s causing a buzz.
After all, poetry is free- it does not belong to anyone.
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Do you write song lyrics or have you ever thought about it doing so? Let us know in the comments below or @mosseryco on Instagram.
