Bob Dylan, who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature but won't be attending the prestigious ceremony, likely will travel to Stockholm next year and might give his Nobel Lecture then, the Swedish Academy said Friday.
The no-show Dylan is anticipated to give a concert in the Swedish capital, which would offer "a perfect opportunity to deliver his lecture," the academy said.
Sara Danius, the organization's permanent secretary, told Swedish public radio Friday that the Nobel Foundation's rules for laureate lectures are "flexible." Dylan can deliver his lecture as "a written speech, a spontaneous discourse, a film," or another format of his choosing.
Dylan has said he cannot attend the Dec. 10 prize ceremony because of other commitments.
The 75-year-old American singer-songwriter was awarded the prize on Oct. 13 "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." However, Dylan remained mum after the announcement and scrubbed of any 'Nobel Prize' mentions from his website, prompting one of the academy's members to call him "impolite and arrogant".
It took Dylan a week to respond that he was "elated" to receive the prize.
The Academy said in a statement it had "decided not to organize an alternative plan" for his lecture.
The laureate lectures must be held within six months from the Dec. 10 ceremonies, on a subject related to the topic of the prizes.
The six Nobel Prizes will be officially conferred upon winners in Stockholm and Oslo next month on the anniversary of award founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.
Details about who would accept the award on Dylan's behalf were still unclear.