The times they are a-changin’, and in Nduka Otiono’s opinion, Bob Dylan’s music has soundtracked change for generations.
Otiono, an assistant professor at the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University, explores the cultural and literary influence of Bob Dylan’s music in his new book Polyvocal Bob Dylan: Music, Performance, Literature.
Released last May, the book is a compilation of scholarly voices, including an essay by Otiono about the impact of Dylan’s art, and the ways his music challenges traditional literary standards.
It was co-edited by Otiono and Josh Toth of MacEwan University. “I was excited to fulfill a long-time dream of going beyond just a fan and investigating the more scholarly work of Dylan,” said Otiono, a self-proclaimed “Dylanist.”
After the controversial decision of awarding Dylan with the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, many traditionalists contested the decision.
“It’s been an ongoing debate about whether or not Dylan’s work qualified as literature,” said Otiono. “When the Nobel Prize was awarded to Dylan, many thought that the Nobel committee had dishonoured the prize,” said Otiono.
Polyvocal Bob Dylan examines how Dylan’s art redefines literary genres, and justifies his Nobel Prize win.
“He is a poet in a different kind of way,” said Otiono. “He has already defied various basic categorization in music, and his work can’t be compartmentalized into specific descriptions.”
In the nine chapters of Polyvocal Bob Dylan, the scholarly essays discuss Dylan’s unique writing style, which the book’s authors say is distinct from traditional literature but provokes the same emotions in its audience.
“Dylan isn’t a poet in the sense that you think of Shakespeare because his words were with music,” said Otiono. “But at the same time, they become even more forceful when in a song.”
Otiono first encountered the music of Bob Dylan in the mid-1980s while working as a journalist in Lagos, Nigeria.
“My collection of his music was so precious. It eventually became the soundtrack of my life.”
His interest in Dylan as a literary figure was sparked while teaching his favourite Dylan song “Man in a Long Black Coat” as a poem to his writing class at the University of Alberta.
“I was surprised by how much his music provoked the students into a critical reflection, and it inspired me so much,” said Otiono.
When Otiono told his colleagues about his book, many were curious about how Bob Dylan related to African studies.
“I was interested in how Bob Dylan influenced my generation in the most unlikely part of the world,” said Otiono. “Part of what I have set out to do in my own essay is to show that beyond the traditional spaces where Bob Dylan is recognized, that has extended to Africa. It is a testimony to his artistic ingenuity that his influence has spread across many places.”
With the completion of his sixth book, Otiono said he finds himself full of inspiration.
Otiono’s next project will be released within a few weeks. It is an anthology of poetry in honour of Pius Adesanmi, the late director of the Carleton Institute of African Studies. He was among 18 Canadians killed in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet in March.
“I have a number of items under the fire,” said Otiono. “I am very excited about this point in time as my creative fire is alive and blazing.”
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
