Bob Dylan finally gets his hands on his Nobel Literature prize

STOCKHOLM — Bob Dylan has received his Nobel Literature diploma and medal.

A member of the Swedish Academy said the 75-year-old American singer/songwriter, who gave a concert in Stockholm on Saturday night, received his award during a small afternoon gathering at a nearby hotel with just academy members and a member of Dylan’s staff.

Klas Ostergren of the Swedish Academy told The Associated Press “it went very well indeed” and that Dylan was “a very nice, kind man.”

Other members of the academy told Swedish media that Dylan seemed pleased by the award.

Dylan himself did not mention anything about receiving the Nobel at his concert later that night.

Sara Danius, the academy’s permanent secretary, had been tight-lipped as to when and where Nobel officials will meet with Dylan, except to say their meeting would be “small and intimate, and no media will be present.”

Dylan had declined the invitation to attend the traditional Nobel Prize banquet and ceremony Dec. 10 — the date of Alfred Nobel’s death — pleading other commitments.

In order to receive the award worth 8 million kronor ($894,800), Dylan must give a lecture within six months from Dec. 10. He has said he will not give his Nobel lecture this weekend but a recorded version will be sent later.

Taped Nobel lectures are occasionally presented, most recently in 2013 by Canadian Nobel literature laureate Alice Munro.

The 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” He had expressed awe at receiving the Nobel Prize and thanked the Swedish Academy for including him among the “giants” of writing, though it took him days to respond to the news that he had won.