Bob Dylan grateful for Nobel Prize, compares his musical approach to Shakespeare

Bob Dylan expressed gratitude at receiving the Nobel Prize in literature and was "beyond words" at being included among the "giants" of writing.

Dylan didn't attend Saturday's award ceremony in Stockholm. But in remarks read at the banquet by the American ambassador to Sweden, Azita Raji, the musician said he'd absorbed the great works of Rudyard Kipling, Pearl Buck and Earnest Hemingway, among others, from a young age.

"These giants of literature whose works are taught in the schoolroom, housed in libraries around the world and spoken of in reverent tones have always made a deep impression. That I now join the names on such a list is truly beyond words."

"I would bet that the farthest thing from Shakespeare's mind was the question 'Is this literature?'" - Bob Dylan in Nobel Prize acceptance speech

The musician said he was "out on the road" when he first got word of his win and had to "properly process it."

The Mr. Tambourine Man and Like a Rolling Stone artist alluded to the debate about giving the award to a songwriter and said the news led him to think of William Shakespeare.

From left, Elisabeth Bootsma, chemistry laureate J. Fraser Stoddart, Princess Madeleine, physics laureate Duncan Haldane, Queen Silvia, Carl-Henrik Heldin, chairman of the Nobel Foundation, Crown Princess Victoria, physics laureate Michael Kosterlitz, Princess Sofia and physics laureate Jean-Pierre Sauvage sit at the table of honour at the 2016 Nobel Prize banquet in Stockholm, Sweden Saturday. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency/The Associated Press)

He said he believed Shakespeare would have been more concerned in his time with practical matters related to his work, such as the best actors for the roles and whether there was financing in place.

"I would bet that the farthest thing from Shakespeare's mind was the question 'Is this literature?'"

Dylan went on to say after touring and performing for decades, his songs are still "at the vital centre of almost everything I do" and "have found a place in the lives of many people."

"But, like Shakespeare, I too am often occupied with the pursuit of my creative endeavours and dealing with all aspects of life's mundane matters. 'Who are the best musicians for these songs?' 'Am I recording in the right studio?' 'Is this song in the right key?' Some things never change, even in 400 years."

He thanked the Swedish Academy for considering the question about whether his songs are literature and "providing such a wonderful answer."

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Bob Dylan grateful for Nobel Prize, compares his musical approach to Shakespeare