as for why he won the prize, there is a report about an interview with the judges, which explained this problem. I will paste it to you.
In order to solve these problems, a media email interviewed holas Ngudall, a judge of the Nobel Prize, and asked him to decrypt the selection of this Nobel Prize.
Engdoyle was the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy for 1 years. He resigned in 29 due to overwork, but he is still one of the five core members of the Nobel Prize in Literature Committee. In the selection process of Nobel Prize in Literature, his reading interest and choice are very important. In Engdoyle's view, Bob Dylan created some of the greatest poems today.
Lyrics should be regarded as a part of literature
Reporter: Is it an easy decision to award this year's Nobel Prize in Literature to Bob Dylan?
ngodor: it's both easy and difficult. That's easy to say, because most members of the Swedish Academy support this decision. It's difficult because every selection in Nobel Prize in Literature means a comprehensive and thorough study of the candidates, and this preparation process will last for several years. There is nothing random in this decision.
Reporter: This year's award results have attracted a lot of controversy. Many people question whether Bob Dylan deserves Nobel Prize in Literature, whether the lyrics should be regarded as literature, and whether Bob Dylan's lyrics meet the standards of great poetry. What do you think of this?
Engdoyle: No matter what the Swedish academy chooses, it will almost always lead to controversy. In the 19 years that I have served in the Nobel Prize in Literature Committee, almost every year, the results will arouse controversy, or worse, questions about the political and aesthetic nature of the award results. This dispute is part of the vitality of the Nobel Prize. Obviously, since we awarded the prize to Bob Dylan, it means that we think that the lyrics should be regarded as a part of literature, and we believe that Bob Dylan's lyrics reflect the highest level of poetic expression.
His songs have a strong linguistic motivation
Reporter: Sarah Danielle, the current permanent secretary-general of the Swedish Academy, compares Bob Dylan's songs with Homer's and Sappho's works. Is this view generally recognized by other members of the Swedish Academy?
Engdoyle: This is one of the many aspects we discussed-the similarity between Bob Dylan's art and ancient poetry. Like Bob Dylan's songs, these ancient poems are also sung or chanted. Personally, I will also mention Ovid here, especially the works he wrote after his exile, which are similar to Dylan's later works.
Reporter: By awarding Bob Dylan Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy recognized him as a great poet. In your opinion, what is the most outstanding poetic quality in Bob Dylan's works?
Engdoyle: Bob Dylan has a very unique and authoritative poetic voice, which is both firm and mocking, both self-centered and self-reflective. From the theme, his text not only has keen observation of daily life, but also has a fleeting image of "second sight". His vocabulary is huge and has a wonderful hybridity. He is a master of rhyming, which allows him to omit explanations, unify songs even when there is no easy-to-understand logic, and every lyric tries to surpass the previous one. This makes his songs have a strong language power, which is strengthened by his unique singing pronunciation. As a result, he created some of the greatest poems we have today.
Literature should include non-fiction works
Reporter: By recognizing Bob Dylan, is the Swedish Academy sending a signal that "we are trying to broaden the definition of literature"?
Engdoyle: The Nobel Prize is an independent prize, not a tool of literature and politics. But this year's awards did send a signal. Broadening the definition of literature is a topic that the Nobel Prize in Literature Committee has been discussing for some time-not only expanding the concept of poetry to include music poetry, but also literature should include non-fiction works, as long as these works have literary quality in form and creation.
Reporter: Before Bob Dylan won the prize, no one in the United States had won the Nobel Prize in Literature for 23 years. You once criticized American writers for being "too isolated and too narrow-minded", which attracted a lot of dissatisfaction in American literary circles. Many people thought that this evaluation was too "Eurocentrism". Is the Nobel Prize awarded to Dylan this year a recognition of American literary tradition, perhaps in a broad sense?
Engdoyle: My criticism is mainly directed at the American literary system, not American writers. My starting point is that I think foreign literature, especially non-English literature, is extremely marginalized in the consciousness of American critics, publishers and American readers. Giving Bob Dylan this prize should at least show that Swedish colleges are not anti-American. And when we acknowledge the dominant position of American song writing through Bob Dylan, we take a broader perspective.