Bob Dylan writes speech for Nobel ceremony

Bob Dylan is the first lyricist to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature

Bob Dylan has written a speech to be delivered at the Nobel Prize ceremony later this week, organisers have said.

His words "will be read at the Nobel banquet in Stockholm" on 10 December as he is unable to attend the event, according to the Swedish Academy.

The US musician became the literature laureate in October, but initially failed to acknowledge the award.

He was called "impolite and arrogant" by a member of the academy, who said he failed to return their phone calls.

Two weeks after the award was announced, on 29 October, the singer phoned the academy's permanent secretary, Sara Danius, to say: "I appreciate the honour so much. The news about the Nobel prize left me speechless."

Separately, he told the Telegraph the honour was "hard to believe", adding: "Whoever dreams about something like that?"

The academy has yet to reveal who will deliver Dylan's speech.

Patti Smith will cover his 1962 protest song A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall at the ceremony.

Dylan was awarded the Nobel prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition", the academy said.

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