Dylan to pick up his Nobel — finally

The Swedish Academy won’t have to hang on to the Nobel Prize intended for its elusive winner for much longer. Bob Dylan, who was awarded in literature last year, dodged phone calls from the academy for days before finally acknowledging the honour and eventually sending his regrets for not attending the official ceremony. He cited “pre-existing commitments” to explain his absence.

But now the American plans to make a swing through Stockholm for some shows, so the academy will go to him. “The Swedish Academy is very much looking forward to the weekend and will show up at one of the performances,” the organization said. “The good news is that the Swedish Academy and Bob Dylan have decided to meet this weekend. The academy will then hand over Dylan’s Nobel diploma and the Nobel medal, and congratulate him on the Nobel Prize in Literature.”

The handover “will be small and intimate, and no media will be present; only Bob Dylan and members of the academy will attend, all according to Dylan’s wishes.”

Laureates also receive nearly $1 million (U.S.), so long as they deliver a lecture on literature within six months. Dylan won’t be delivering a lecture, the Swedish Academy announced, but the group “has reason to believe that a tape version will be sent at a later point.” Canadian writer Alice Munro, who won the prize in 2013, was the most recent laureate to deliver a taped lecture.