Why Dylan Matters, How to Academy

Bob Dylan is a cultural phenomenon. He’s a subversive guitar-strummer with a raw voice and straight-talking songs. Dylan’s words encapsulated the generation of 1960s drop-outs. But, in the popular imagination, he’s thought of as a political and cantankerous poet. Despite his seemingly un-literary credentials, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. While this caused outrage in some circles – exacerbated by the fact that the singer-songwriter wouldn't even collect his prize in person – one man, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas backed him all the way.

Now, Richard F. Thomas reveals the reasons for his unwavering support. This December, in a one-off talk in collaboration with the How to Academy, Thomas will explain why we love Dylan and why his literary genius ought to be celebrated. Using his newly released book, Why Dylan Matters, as a starting point, Thomas will unravel Dylan’s allusive and compound art of song, where words, music and voice make unity and, mysteriously, create a community of past and present.

The academic authority on all things Dylanological, Thomas has long sought to place the singer in the same canon as Virgil, Homer and Ovid, arguing that Dylan's music is more a reverberation of literary allusions than rock’n’roll. Why Dylan Matters wittily and compellingly argues that Dylan is a poetic genius and thus catapulted Thomas to international stardom.

Thomas's talk is sure to be thrillingly controversial, and will provide you with a complete re-imagining of Dylan’s place in the cultural landscape. It's a must for any Dylan fans out there.

We are offering pairs of free tickets to this event for Gold Whisper members on 14 December. The event will run from 6.45 – 8pm. Book now to avoid disappointment!