Why did Peter love this book?
Who would have thought that the teenage Robert Zimmerman, later known as Bob Dylan, belonged to his high school Latin club? Richard Thomas, who found the evidence, was not so surprised.
A Professor of Ancient Greek and Roman poetry at Harvard and a long-standing fan, he has traced Dylan’s increasing use of classical allusions. The singing Nobel prizewinner’s favorite is Ovid, whose phrases he has used over 30 times in his lyrics. “Ancient footsteps are everywhere,” to quote his song “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”
Thomas’s book is personal and easy to read, casting new light on the enigmatic 82-year-old. As a committed fan myself, I can safely say it is the best Dylan book yet, leaving out the ones he authored himself.
1 author picked Why Bob Dylan Matters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
A GUARDIAN AND INDEPENDENT BEST MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR
'At last an expert classicist gets to grips with Bob Dylan' Mary Beard
'Thomas's elegant, charming book offers something for everyone - not just the super-fans' Independent
When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan, the literary world was up in arms. How could the world's most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter in his Seventies, who wouldn't even deign to make an acceptance speech?
In Why Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers that question with magisterial erudition. A world expert…