Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich won last year's Nobel literature award.

"One thing to value in Dylan is evolution as an artist", Kay wrote. What took so long for them to give him the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Novelist Salman Rushdie tweeted: "From Orpheus to Faiz, song and poetry have been closely linked".

Bob Dylan was named the victor of the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday in a stunning announcement that for the first time bestowed the prestigious award to someone primarily seen as a musician. "Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition", he tweeted.

Dylan, 75, was born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941 and began his musical career in 1959.

Dylan won a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power".

Others were amused, writing: "My dad has been a Bob Dylan fan for over 50 years, and even he thinks this is hilarious".

The Swedish Academy's surprise choice Thursday thrilled some and disappointed others, who felt giving the award to Dylan made a mockery of the prestigious Nobel Prizes.

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A furious debate over Bob Dylan's artistic merits erupted after the defining songwriter of his era was named the surprise victor of the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature.

Rock musician Bob Dylan performs at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles.

"My worry is not Bob Dylan winning, but flood gates opening for lyricists in future", Kabir Taneja said, attaching the lyrics of Rihanna's song "Work".

From his love songs to his protest cries, Dylan's vast library of songs may not be what we typically consider "literary", but when considered in its entirety, it is literature.

Dylan is the first songwriter to receive the award in its 112-year history. Dylan is credited for having written some of the most prolific anti-war and civil rights anthems of the 1960's.

Speculation prior to Thursday's announcement had focused on Syrian poet Adonis and Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

Many fans already quote Dylan as if he were Shakespeare, there are entire college courses and scholarly volumes devoted to his songs, and judges work Dylan quotations into their legal opinions all the time, such as "The times they are a-changing" and "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows".

"He is a great poet", she said.