SEAN LATHAM – THE WORLD OF BOB DYLAN
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
BOOK REVIEW & INTERVIEW BY GERROD HARRIS
Everyone has their favourite Bob Dylan. The enigmatic singer-songwriter has captured the worldβs attention for nearly 60 years as an essential figure among the ever-shifting face of pop culture. Love him or not, nobody would argue against the impact and timelessness of Dylan. Being among the most important artists of the latter half of the twentieth century, Sean Latham has compiled a collection of academic essays in a manner to educate and introduce the legacy of Dylan from a historical perspective. As a result, The World Of Bob Dylan is an incredible source that attempts to make sense of the changing tones, themes, and styles of Dylanβs music and persona in the public eye.
The World Of Bob Dylan is organized into chapters written by different authors to provide a greater sense of perspective to the art of Dylan. The use of various contributor further speaks to Dylanβs universal importance. Each chapter seeks, to varying degrees, to explain how Dylanβs music fits into different genres β from folk to the blues, rock, and the American Songbook β and how heβs interwoven his legacy into various cultural contexts β from religion to gender and sexuality, and politics to The Beat Generation. Speaking on the importance of Dylan, Latham states, βDylan is going to transition from this living star to a historical item. Not very many people make that transition β lots of people write novels, poems and plays but not many people go on to be taught as a representative of the period. It seems to me that Dylan, when we talk about pop music and literature from the latter half of the twentieth century, will be one of those icons. Dylan will be the one taught about in classrooms.β With this in mind, The University of Tulsa made Latham the course director on their new class studying the work of Dylan. Latham continues, βAbout eighty years after Joyce was born, the James Joyce Quarterly was created, about eighty years after film was created, film departments started to appear β we are at this amazing moment where this wealth of mid-century America is being taken seriouslyβ¦ We can look at that history in broader strokes and determine whoβs arcs truly shaped the time.β Subsequently, The World Of Bob Dylan seeks to emphasise the importance of Dylanβs creative output in different musical, political, and cultural contexts in an introductory fashion. Latham best captures Dylanβs importance with this sentiment, βItβs like a Shakespearean play in a sense, each generation gets to reinvent a Dylan song or lyric in their own way, and thatβs an amazing thingβ¦ It sounds grandiose but comparisons to Homer and Shakespeare are apt here. Dylan has created this cast of characters and stories that are deeply American and heβs made them almost mythical. Itβs not just covering a Dylan song, when you write a breakup lyric that feels overly poetic, youβre borrowing from what Dylan did.β
Such an organizational system allows for the many contributors of The World Of Bob Dylan to create a multifaceted deep dive into the many faces, identities, and eras of Dylan. βI think Bob Dylan himself, as we think we know him, is a character that, like all of us, is ever changing through lifeβ Latham tells me. This in itself is at the centre of The World Of Bob Dylan. The book and its authors do an excellent job at analysing the significance of Dylan in music and culture without attempting to actually create any new labels that further mythologize the enigmatic icon. Rather, the book is a critical examination that simply seeks to make sense of Dylan through an academic lens. The World Of Bob Dylan feels like a crucial introduction to the artist that anyone β lifelong fans and post-secondary students alike β would benefit from reading. Far from a biography, Latham and his team have written a book that puts the Nobel laureate under the same analytical spotlight as historyβs greatest novelists, poets, and playwrights; ultimately furthering Dylanβs legacy as one of the greatest artistic figures of the last century.
The World Of Bob Dylan kicks off an archival deep dive into the legacy and cultural importance of Dylan in thoroughly academic manner that remains enjoyable. This book pairs well with Dylanβs expansive discography and will more than likely lead to a greater appreciation for the singer-songwriter. The book itself is an extension of Bob Dylan Archives β housed at the University of Tulsaβs Helmerich Center for American Research β in that it provides a scholarly and researched approach to understanding Dylan. As Latham explains, βit grew primarily out of the archive itselfβ¦ The most important thing about the course we offer at the university on Dylan is the same thing as this book: itβs a big look at the state of the file when it comes to Dylan β what kinds of things do people have to say about him and what can we say about him with this archive that we couldnβt say before.β The Bob Dylan Archive includes over 6000 items including memorabilia, film, recordings, and original lyric sheets. With such a wealth at The University of Tulsaβs disposal, it seems that The World Of Bob Dylan is a much needed scratch on the surface of what is to come.