Bob Dylan’s attendance of Nobel Prize ceremony ‘unfortunately impossible’

Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, will not personally receive his Nobel Prize for Literature because of “other commitments”.

Dylan, who won for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”, is the only singer-songwriter to ever be awarded the Nobel Prize.

He told the Swedish Academy that it is “unfortunately impossible” for him to attend the ceremony in Stockholm on December 10 to “receive the prize personally”.

The iconic singer-songwriter sent a personal letter explaining why he would be unavailable on the day of the ceremony.

In a statement, a spokesman said “he feels very honoured indeed, wishing that he could receive the prize in person”.

Doris Lessing and Harold Pinter, British playwrights, and Elfriede Jelinek, Austrian playwright and novelist, were also unable to pick up their recent Nobel prizes, citing a social phobia.

“The award is still theirs, as it now belongs to Bob Dylan,” the Academy said.

“We look forward to Bob Dylan’s Nobel Lecture, which he must give – it is the only requirement – within six months counting from 10 December.”

Dylan, who has sold more than 110 million records, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his contribution to American music and culture.

The Nobel Prize is awarded for a lifetime of work and not a single body of work.

The Nobel Prize which is one of the most prestigious awards in the world comes with a cash prize of 8 million Swedish kronor ($930,000).