Round-Up: The Nobel Prize in Literature, Elton John’s Autobiography, and the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016

From Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize to the beginning of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016, here are last week’s biggest literary headlines:

• Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the first musician to win the award. This decision by the Swedish Academy opened the debate as to whether song lyrics should be considered literature, with many literary figures sharing their opinions. The academy awarded the prize to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

• Elton John has announced that he will release his autobiography in 2019. He stated, “I’m not prone to being a nostalgic person. I’m often accused of only looking forward to my next gig or creative project. It’s come as quite a surprise how cathartic I am finding the process of writing my memoirs. As I look back, I realize what a crazy life I have had the extreme privilege of living.” Henry Holt & Company won the rights to book at auction.

• The Frankfurt Book Fair 2016 begins on Wed, Oct. 19 and goes through Sun, Oct. 23. It is a meeting place for publishers, booksellers, agents, film producers and authors. The main topics this year include kids, education, science, art and design, and self-publishing. During the 2015 Fair, there were 275,791 total visitors from 129 countries.