Bob Dylan

1941 –
Read poems by this poet

Bob Dylan, originally named Robert Zimmerman, was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 24, 1941. A rock and folk music legend who rose to fame in the 1960s, Dylan is known for his poetic lyrics and distinctive songwriting. The New York Times notes, “Mr. Dylan has often sprinkled literary allusions into his music and cited the influence of poetry on his lyrics, and has referenced Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, and Ezra Pound.“ Dylan is the author of The Lyrics: 1961–2012 (Simon & Schuster, 2016) and Tarantula (Macmillan, 1971), a collection of prose poetry. His many honors include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, numerous Grammy Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dylan received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” He lives in Malibu, California.