A prophet against his will?

2 November 2010. The American song poet Bob Dylan never wanted to be a prophet, yet in many people’s eyes he has become one. Ironically, it is precisely this that makes him similar to some biblical prophets. However, he did toy with the role at least twice in his career: at the stage of the so-called protest songs and then again during his controversial gospel period – although, in his own words, he never wanted to be more than a second Elvis Presley.

Messiah and Judas
If you want to understand why Dylan, of all the pop icons of the 20th century, was attributed with quasi Messianic qualities – but was also reviled as Judas – you will be unable to avoid his alleged lapses. Who is the real Dylan: “Song and Dance Man”, ingenious pied piper or a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature? Or simply “the most human of all voices” (Günter Amendt)?

Authority on Bob Dylan
The five lectures will be given by Dr. Martin Schäfer, a renowned authority on Bob Dylan. He is a freelance journalist and was lecturer at the Institute of Media Studies of the University of Basel. Schäfer is also the editor of the “Blues Special” programme on Radio DRS 3. The public lecture series “Bob Dylan – a prophet against his will?” starts on Monday, 8 November 2010.

Photo: Photocase/stocksnapper