“Early Dylan and the Aesthetics of Invective” Truly sharp-tongued verse is rare among songwriters, prevalent as it has always been in poetry. Few twentieth-century song lyrics contain harsh criticism or ad hominem hostility. Dylan, in contrast, seemed to develop an aesthetics of invective from early in his songwriting career.1 As I’ve suggested for other […]
“To Be Alone with Dylan on the Long Hot Summer Tour” Review by Christine Hand Jones, Southern Methodist University Thackerville, Oklahoma, home of WinStar World Casino, sits just across the Red River, as close to Texas as a person can get and legally gamble. On July 2nd, 2026, on the eve of a long […]
Christopher K. Coffman. Clowns in the Burying Ground: The Grateful Dead, Literature, and the Limits of Philosophy. Duke University Press, 2026. 251 pp. Review by Olivia Carter Mather, Chapman University There are a few rock artists with both devoted long-term followings and an unconventional musical style that repels other listeners. Their repertoires establish a […]
Michael Glover-Smith. Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time to Think. McNidder and Grace, 2026. 244 pp. Review by Robert Reginio, Alfred University Any survey of Dylan’s work in film—as opposed to his appearances on screen in videos or other cinematic projects—is a salvage operation. Films like Eat the Document (1972) or Renaldo and Clara […]
Jim Windolf. Where the Music Had to Go: How Bob Dylan and The Beatles Changed Each Other – and the World. White Rabbit, 2026. 374 pp. Review by Andrew Beck “The Beatles are comin’, they’re gonna hold your hand” A problem facing anyone trying to write about Dylan or the Beatles, or Dylan and […]
Robert Polito. After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan’s Memory Palace. W. W. Norton & Company, 2024. 336 pp. Review by Anne Margaret Daniel, The New School After the Flood is meant to cover Bob Dylan’s career from 1991 to 2024, but you can’t write about The Later Dylan standing alone—because he stands neither alone […]
Talkin’ New York. Copyright © 1962, 1965 by Duchess Music Corporation; renewed 1990,1993 by MCA. Bob Dylan’s Blues. Copyright © 1963, 1964 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1991, 1992 by Special Rider Music. Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands. Copyright © 1966 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1994 by Dwarf Music. Time Passes Slowly. Copyright © 1970 […]
Michael Glover Smith. Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time to Think. McNidder & Grace, 2026. Bob Dylan as Filmmaker: No Time to Think. McNidder & Grace, 2026. Robert Polito. After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan’s Memory Palace. Liveright, 2026. Walters, Jack. Bob Dylan: Song by Song. Pen & Sword Books, 2026. Jim Windolf. Where the […]
Nicholas Birns teaches modern and contemporary literature at the School of Professional Studies, New York University. His recent books include The Literary Role of History in the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien (2024), and the co-authored Agatha Christie Under the Magnifying Glass (with Margaret Boe Birns, 2025). Erin C. Callahan is a professor of English at […]
The Dylan Review spoke to songwriter Emma Swift about covering Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and her own creative process. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Dylan Review: As we speak, you’re back in Nashville after playing the historic Bearsville Theater in Dylan’s old stomping ground of Woodstock. How was it? Emma […]
