By Kim Uslin
Elm staff writer
On March 5 celebrated writer Daniel Mark Epstein delivered a lecture entitled “The Ballad of Bob Dylan.” The talk offered a fascinating glimpse into the speaker’s recently-released biography of the same title.
Epstein, an acclaimed poet and biographer whose work has been published in such elite publications as “The Atlantic” and “The New Yorker,” has received critical praise for the biography.
C.V. Starr Center Director Adam Goodheart, who introduced Epstein, referred to the Dylan biography as “original, memorable, versatile, and eclectic.”
The lecture, held in the Egg, was largely based on his personal experience with Bob Dylan. The well-attended talk spanned four concerts and 43 years, providing a portrait of the artist’s evolution. Epstein watched firsthand as Dylan transformed from a shy, little-known songwriter to one of the generation’s most famous and influential lyricists.
Epstein used Dylan’s lyrics throughout the lecture to underscore the artist’s evolving attitudes. He cited “The Times They Are A-Changing,” for example, as a call to arms for the previous generation to accept the cultural revolution. The singer’s work often had political or cultural significance. It is this impact which, in Epstein’s words, “turned the music world upside down.”
Whether singing the lyrics himself or playing a song for the audience, Epstein emphasized the poetry of Dylan’s words. A poet himself, the lecturer made an argument for the literary value of Dylan’s lyrics.
The musician is currently being considered for a Nobel Prize in literature. While Epstein is “not sure whether [Dylan] deserves it,” he did compare the singer to such famous poets as William Blake and Robert Burns, whose poetry also initially took the form of lyrics.
“If Dylan is a poet,” said Epstein, “he is the most famous one in history.”
In fact, the speaker went as far as to poetically analyze one of Dylan’s more than 500 songs. He attributed such poetic qualities as metaphor and synecdoche to “A Pawn in the Game,” a song about the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evans. While not all of Dylan’s lyrics are of equivalent literary quality, Epstein argues, even the most famous of poets did not write a masterpiece every time.
His evaluation of Dylan’s literary worth is in part what inspired Epstein to write the biography.
“Dylan has created works of art, songs that will be sung by my children and grandchildren,” said Epstein. “More than any other artist of my generation, he has influenced the way people think and express themselves. I didn’t think there was a biography [before mine] that did him justice, either as an artist or a man.”
As for his favorite Dylan song, Epstein said it’s difficult to decide.
“My favorite is probably ‘Boots of Spanish Leather,’ but ‘Not Dark Yet’ is another one of my favorites. The first is a young man’s poem, but the other is an old man’s poem. [‘Not Dark Yet’] comes from a man who has experienced everything and still sees the light in the world.”
Epstein’s lecture was followed by a question and answer session facilitated by Goodheart. After the session, junior Tim Meren performed Dylan’s “Oh Sister.”
For those who want to hear more from Epstein or to further explore Dylan, copies of “The Ballad of Bob Dylan: A Portrait” are on sale at the bookstore.