?The coolest class on campus? ? The New York Times When the Nobel Prize for Literature was
awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016 a debate raged. Some celebrated while many others questioned the
choice. How could the world's most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous
singer-songwriter who wouldn't even deign to attend the medal ceremony? In Why Bob Dylan
Matters Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition.
A world expert on Classical poetry Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for
teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer Virgil and Ovid.
Dylan's Nobel Prize brought him vindication and he immediately found himself thrust into the
spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today through his wildly
popular Dylan seminar?affectionately dubbed Dylan 101?Thomas is introducing a new generation of
fans and scholars to the revered bard's work. This witty personal volume is a distillation of
Thomas's famous course and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question
What makes a classic? Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan's modern relevance while
interpreting and decoding Dylan's lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume
on Dylan in decades Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylan's work for the Dylan neophyte
and the seasoned fanatic alike. You'll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.
