Bob Dylan will receive $927,740 in prize money for his win.
In a stunning move, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature Thursday.
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The Nobel committee cited the legendary singer and songwriter for creating "new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."
They also said he "had the status of an icon." He will receive $927,740 in prize money.
Dylan, who was born Robert Allen Zimmerman, is 75 years old.
His classics include "Blowin’ in The Wind," "Like a Rolling Stone," and "The Times They Are a-Changin'." Dylan is credited for having written some of the most prolific anti-war and civil rights anthems of the 1960’s.
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Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg said: "He is probably the greatest living poet."
Giving the prestigious award to Dylan is a bit of a shocker because it's usually given to authors Like Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and the last American to win, Toni Morrison, in 1993.
A Nobel academy member said, "Bob Dylan writes poetry for the ear. But it's perfectly fine to read his works as poetry."
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