here is no doubt that Bob Dylan deserves the award – and not just for his contribution to music. He has consistently produced lyrics, poems, liner notes, books (Tarantula and Chronicles) and interviews, in which he has used words in a unique and powerful way. He is a match for the best.
There are probably extremely good reasons why he is keeping a low profile. He had more than enough trouble in the early days of his career when he was dubbed ‘Voice of a Generation’. The weight of that was psychologically crippling and he spent most of his life escaping from under the yoke of those expectations.
Why would he want to put himself back into that arena again? He doesn’t need it.