Book cover of Jokerman: Reading the Lyrics of Bob Dylan

Book description

Bob Dylan is described as one of the most startling, prolific and controversial contemporary song-writers. This book explores the complexity and subtlety of his lyrics and their themes, seeking to make intelligible that seems obscure and difficult. The author reviews the manner in which many of Dylan's lyrics treat fundamental…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Jokerman as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Not the best-known Dylan book but Jokerman is unusually productive in its scholarly analysis of many of the Nobel Laurette’s revered lyrics.

Investigating the writer’s use of ‘Identity’ in his work happens to coincide with 20 of his best-known and most loved songs. At one level, this might be seen as a book for anoraks, but it is much more likely to be of interest to anyone inclined to seek answers to questions raised in the apparent opacity of these Dylan classics.

From Ray's list on Bob Dylan.

If you love Jokerman...

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These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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