--- title: Nobel Prize Panel Has Stopped Trying to Reach Bob Dylan description: The Swedish Academy says it has stopped trying to reach Bob Dylan after it awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature canonical: https://time.com/4533756/nobel-prize-panel-stopped-reach-bob-dylan/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-17T19:29:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:14:36.141Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Nobel Prize Panel Has Stopped Trying to Reach Bob Dylan og:description: Dylan has not publicly acknolwedged winning the Nobel Prize in Literature og:url: https://time.com/4533756/nobel-prize-panel-stopped-reach-bob-dylan/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c131fea48a650f0/6988aa44ab6d77186e6ab979/bob-dylan-nobel-prize.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: bob-dylan-nobel-prize og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Nobel Prize Panel Has Stopped Trying to Reach Bob Dylan twitter:description: Dylan has not publicly acknolwedged winning the Nobel Prize in Literature twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c131fea48a650f0/6988aa44ab6d77186e6ab979/bob-dylan-nobel-prize.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Nobel Prize Panel Has Stopped Trying to Reach Bob Dylan ## Video: Bob Dylan Receives Nobel Prize in Literature [Watch (HLS stream): Bob Dylan Receives Nobel Prize in Literature](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NvOfBFJT.m3u8) (0:33)  _Published 2016-10-13. Bob Dylan was named the winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday in a stunning announcement that for the first time bestowed the prestigious award to someone primarily seen as a musician._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Oct 17, 2016 7:29 PM UTC  Musical guest Bob Dylan performs on the Late Show with David Letterman, Tuesday May 19, 2015 on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS ©2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved Musical guest Bob Dylan performs on the Late Show with David Letterman, Tuesday May 19, 2015 on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS ©2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights ReservedJeffrey R. Staab—©2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Oct 17, 2016 7:29 PM UTC The Swedish Academy says it has stopped trying to reach Bob Dylan, who has neither made a public statement nor responded to the academy after it [awarded him](http://time.com/4529418/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-literature/) the Nobel Prize in Literature. Sara Danius, the Swedish Academy’s permanent secretary said she has not heard from Dylan since the announcement, according to the [_Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/17/nobel-prize-bob-dylan-unable-to-reach). “Right now we are doing nothing,” she [told](http://sverigesradio.se/sida/avsnitt/793666?programid=478) Swedish state radio SR. “I have called and sent emails to his closest collaborator and received very friendly replies. For now, that is certainly enough.” Dylan, the [first songwriter](http://time.com/4529480/nobel-prize-literature-winner-bob-dylan/) and the first American, since 1993, to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, has not said whether he will attend the ceremony and gala honoring winners on Dec. 10\. Nobel prize winners are typically invited to Stockholm to receive their awards and deliver a speech. Danius, who said she thinks Dylan will show up at the ceremony, said the celebration will continue regardless. “If he doesn’t want to come, he won’t come,” she said. It will be a big party in any case and the honor belongs to him.” Dylan winning the award has [proved controversial](http://time.com/4529524/bob-dylan-nobel-prize-literature-reaction/), dividing those who agreed with the Nobel Committee’s choice and those who were miffed the award, usually reserved for literary greats, went to a musician. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4533756/nobel-prize-panel-stopped-reach-bob-dylan/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4533756/nobel-prize-panel-stopped-reach-bob-dylan/"},"headline":"The Nobel Prize Panel Has Stopped Trying to Reach Bob Dylan","datePublished":"2016-10-17T19:29:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:14:36.141Z","description":"Dylan has not publicly acknolwedged winning the Nobel Prize in Literature","url":"https://time.com/4533756/nobel-prize-panel-stopped-reach-bob-dylan/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c131fea48a650f0/6988aa44ab6d77186e6ab979/bob-dylan-nobel-prize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0c131fea48a650f0/6988aa44ab6d77186e6ab979/bob-dylan-nobel-prize.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"bob-dylan-nobel-prize","caption":"Musical guest Bob Dylan performs on the Late Show with David Letterman, Tuesday May 19, 2015 on the CBS Television Network.Photo: Jeffrey R. 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