Bob Dylan in America

What does America tell us about Bob Dylan - and what does Dylan´s work tell us about America? Growing up in Greenwich Village, Sean Wilentz discovered the music of Bob Dylan as a young teenager; almost half a century later, he revisits Dylan´s work with the skills of a leading historian as well as the passion of a fan. Drawn in part from Wilentz´s essays written as ´historian-in-residence´ of Dylan´s official website, "Bob Dylan in America" is a unique blend of fact, interpretation and critical attachment. It traces the jagged arc of a mercurial artist, through thrilling highs and (more cursorily) crushing lows. It discusses Dylan´s debt to Aaron Copland and the Beats to Blind Willie McTell and the protest movement. It places Dylan´s work in its wider historical and artistic contexts and shows how deeply attuned he is to American history and culture.