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Nobel Academy Member Calls Bob Dylan's Silence After Prize Win 'Arrogant'

The academy says it has struggled to reach Dylan since the award announcement on Oct. 13.
Image: FILES-SWEDEN-US-NOBEL-LITERATURE
Poet, folk singer and songwriter, Bob Dylan won the Nobel Literature Prize on Oct. 13, 2016. He is the first songwriter to win the prestigious award and an announcement that surprised prize watchers. Above, Dylan performs in France on July 22, 2012.FRED TANNEAU / AFP - Getty Images file

STOCKHOLM — A member of the Swedish Academy that awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature to Bob Dylan says the U.S. singer-songwriter's silence since receiving the honor is "impolite and arrogant."

Per Wastberg said Dylan's lack of reaction was predictable but disrespectful nonetheless. He was quoted telling the Swedish newspaper Dagens Myheter in Saturday's edition: "One can say that it is impolite and arrogant. He is who he is."

Wastberg said the academy still hopes to communicate with the 75-year-old artist, whose award credits him with creating "new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." Dylan is the first musician in history to be awarded the literary prize.

Related: Bob Dylan's Website Scrubs Mention of Winning Nobel Prize in Literature

The academy says it has struggled to reach Dylan since the award announcement on Oct. 13. Sara Danius, the academy's permanent secretary said she had emailed him and called his "closest collaborator" to ensure he claims his hefty $927,740 award, according to a translation published in The Guardian.

However, Danius only received "very friendly replies" with Dylan's silence still a mystery.

Dylan took a week to officially respond to the academy.He casually mentioned the "Nobel Prize" award in a blurb on his website promoting his book, "The Lyrics : 1961-2012" on Wednesday.But, Dylan retracted that statement within 24 hours of publishing it. The reasoning behind the retraction remains unknown to NBC News.

The Nobel Prize is mentioned on Dylan's official Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The prize will be officially conferred on Dec. 10 in Stockholm.