Bob Dylan Unable To Attend Nobel Prize Ceremony

By Sandra Gonzalez

PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Bob Dylan will not travel to Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize for Literature in person, the Swedish Academy announced in a statement Wednesday. In a letter to the organization, which awards the Nobel prizes, Dylan explained he is unable to attend the ceremony in Stockholm next month due to "pre-existing commitments."

Dylan, the Swedish Academy said, "feels very honored" by the award and wishes he could be there in person to receive it.

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The organization added that there have been other Nobel laureates in the past who were unable to attend the ceremony -- and the prize is still awarded. The only requirement is that Dylan present a Nobel Lecture within six months.

Dylan -- first songwriter to win a Nobel Prize -- is being acknowledged by the Swedish Academy "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

Representatives for Dylan were not immediately available for comment on this story.

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