Bob Dylan has become the first ever songwriter to be awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature. The announcement was made in Sweden this morning. It came as something of a surprise with Irish Booker winner John Banville, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami and USA novelist Philip Roth the expected favourites to scoop the award. That said, the Duluth, Minnesota-born musician and songwriter’s name is believed to have been on the Swedish Nobel Academy’s shortlist for the literature prize for a number of years.

Citation from the Swedish Nobel Academy:

“for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”

After speech interview:

With a concert tonight in Las Vegas, Bob Dylan has yet to make any public comment on his Nobel laureate award.