Book Review – The World Of Bob Dylan
As Bob Dylan celebrates his 80th birthday (May 24, 2021), a new book titled, The World Of Bob Dylan has been added to the lengthy list of tomes exploring the life and career of the Nobel Prize and GRAMMY-winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.
Edited by Sean Latham and published by Cambridge University Press, this isn’t a linear biography of Dylan’s life or career. Nor is it a focused look at any era, album, or aspect. Instead, it is a curated collection of 27 essays, all looking at different facets and interpretations of Bob Dylan.
Note: Thank you to Cambridge University Press for sending us a copy of The World Of Bob Dylan. Being able to hold and read and feel the book as we read it and prepared this post was nice. A good hardcover book in your hand is an underrated feeling.
Because this isn’t a linear story, the options for reading through the book are nearly endless. Start with the introduction and go in order from one page to the last if you want. Or, look at the list of essays in the table of contents and find something that jumps out at you. Bounce from one writer’s thoughts and words to the next without worrying too much about bringing what you just finished, with you. Read one essay a day for a month and enjoy a relaxed pace. Or, sit down, get comfortable and dig in for a long read.
Related: Bob Dylan Top 10 – by the Numbers
I say all that to give you my overview. The publisher says this, “Bob Dylan has helped transform music, literature, pop culture, and even politics. The World of Bob Dylan chronicles a lifetime of creative invention that has made a global impact. Leading rock and pop critics and music scholars address themes and topics central to Dylan’s life and work: the Blues, his religious faith, Civil Rights, Gender, Race, and American and World literature. Incorporating a rich array of new archival material from never before accessed archives, The World of Bob Dylan offers a comprehensive, uniquely informed and wholly fresh account of the songwriter, artist, filmmaker, and Nobel Laureate whose unique voice has permanently reshaped our cultural landscape.”
The book brings credibility and expertise with it each step of the way. Latham is the director of the Institute for Bob Dylan Studies at the University of Tulsa. He is immersed in the study of Dylan and knowing that allowed me to trust the words and stories and conclusions I was presented throughout the essays.
The academia also shines through, not only in the care and depth and research of the essays. But in the way that it offers extensive references to other books, essays, films, and more. The opportunity for the reading of this book to turn into an unofficial study of Bob Dylan through the referenced material is right there for you – if you want to take the plunge.
With that said, I did not find The World Of Bob Dylan to be so academic that I couldn’t enjoy it from page to page and essay to essay. And as a reader who came into the book with only a basic/ passing knowledge of Dylan’s life and career, I appreciated that. I felt more welcome and never felt like I needed to be an expert to crack the cover.
This collection is going to allow a lot of fans of Dylan’s career and impact to read a varied selection of voices and takes. It’s going to offer new ideas to go with the ones that they’ve already read in past publications.
It’s going to be a great gift for the Bob Dylan fan in your life – or a wonderful self-gift for anyone who wants to add to their collection.
The World Of Bob Dylan is available now in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats. Contact your local book store, or wherever you buy books online to order your copy.
Have a look at the full table of contents below – and visit cambridge.org and dylan.utulsa.edu for more information about The World Of Bob Dylan.
The World Of Bob Dylan, Table of Contents
Introduction: Sean Latham
I. Creative Life:
1. A Chronology of Bob Dylan’s Life by Kevin Dettmar and Sean Latham
2. The Biographies by Andrew Mui
3. Songwriting by Sean Latham
4. The Singles: A Playlist for Framing Dylan’s Recording Art by Keith Negus
II. Musical Contexts:
5. Folk Music by Ronald D. Cohen
6. The Blues: ‘Kill Everybody Ever Done Me Wrong’ by Greil Marcus
7. Gospel Music by Gayle Wald
8. Country Music: Dylan, Cash, and the Projection of Authenticity by Leigh H. Edwards
9. Rock Music by Ira Wells
10. Roots Music: Born in a Basement by Kim Ruehl
11. The Great American Songbook: ‘Better Duck Down the [Tin Pan] Alley Way, Lookin’ for a New Friend’ by Larry Starr
III. Cultural Contexts:
12. American Literature by Florence Dore
13. World Literature by Anne-Marie Mai
14. The Beats by Steven Belletto
15. Theatre by Damian A. Carpenter
16. Visual Arts: Goya’s Kiss by Raphael Falco
17. Borrowing by Kevin Dettmar
18. Judaism: Saturnine Melancholy and Dylan’s Jewish Gnosis by Elliot R. Wolfson
19. Christianity: An Exegesis of Modern Times by Andrew McCarron
IV. Political Contexts:
20. The Civil Rights Movement by Will Kaufman
21. The Counterculture by Michael J. Kramer
22. Gender and Sexuality: Bob Dylan’s Body by Ann Powers
23. Justice by Lisa O’Neill-Sanders
V. Reception and Legacy:
24. The Bob Dylan Brand by Devon Powers
25. The Nobel Prize: The Dramaturgy of Consecration by James F. English
26. Stardom and Fandom by David R. Shumway
27. The Bob Dylan Archive® by Mark Davidson
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