Life Bob Dylan: Forever Young

by LIFE

Bobby Zimmerman pilgrimaged to New York City's Greenwich Village just over a half century ago, seeking to visit his muse Woody Guthrie in the hospital and to launch a music career. He did both, and his first, eponymous album was released precisely 50 years ago. The rest is Dylan the folk hero, Dylan going electric, Dylan and the Band, Dylan and the American ethos. Today, he stands as an always-touring icon. A national institution. It's time to celebrate the remarkable life of Bobby Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota.

A life in Pictures, including shots from those who know him intimately, and knew him in the reclusive years in Woodstock, like Eliot Landy and Bob Cato . LIFE's original coverage of Dylan, Joan Baez and the downtown scene of the early 1960s . Excerpts from Dylan interviews through the years that make the story come alive, and get to the heart of this enigmatic man.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2012

About the author

Life was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, Life was a wide-ranging weekly general interest magazine known for the quality of its photography.

Reviews

[Aaaschless · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the pictures

[averyslibrary]

every picture taken of him is just the coolest picture ever

[Prem · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book which gives a glimpse of an enigmatic personality with lots of good photos. Picked it up for Life Press & photography.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read - lots of cool pictures of Bob's life.

Short book. just a quick run-through of Dylan's journey and albums. It quickly discusses his hometown in Hibbing Minnesota, parents, early music - then his journey to New York.

The fun part of this book is all the fooling with the media that Bob does: you can't trust him to tell the truth about any personal issues or experiences. And with that - people should not look for the truth in his lyrics and albums.
Bob is not a folkie, or a hippy, or a voice of a generation. He's a self displaying musician. That's good enough for me. He simply makes music. (and burns through marriages, like almost all rockstars).

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly lightweight but enjoyable bio.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Life Magazine reissue after Dylan won the Nobel Prize. Great overview of his life and music. Many photos.

[zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

epic ness

[Robert Strandquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars because of the absence of Dylan's lyrics. Including lyrics/poetry would have served to anchor, illustrate, elucidate and resonate the observations, speculations and documented hallucinations in this text of tribute. However, the 4 stars shine due the magazine's brilliantly illustrated biography covering six decades of Dylan's life. The writers reach us with lively and informed voices; the photographers present candid glimpses of Dylan's mortality, and the editors layout each section and page with crafty flair. BUT the hole in this donut is the essence of Dylan's work - his lyrics. Why list all his awards, accolades and acclaim without revealing the bedrock of them? Even the Nobel Prize is for LITERATURE, not popularity. In his letter to the Nobel committee, Dylan mused about his songs being seen as literature. The answer to this could have been the new stage for LIFE magazine to stand on and proclaim Dylan's mastery of poetic language . But, maybe he wrote and sang the answer himself,
"And you know something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?"
As for me, I began teaching Dylan's lyrics as poetry in 1969 to high school cowboys and cowgirls in northern Montana. They were politely silent as they heard a nasally voice warble about nothin they knew. When we came to the lines, "Twenty years of schoolin'/ And they put you on the day shift.../Look out kid, they keep it all hid..."

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize is one for which I am very happy. His poetry, songs, praises and protests captured life across the country and around the globe.
The sixties were particularly a time for the growth of his type of writing and singing. It is remarkable that he endured that mind-blowing, physically stressful life and prevailed into a late age.
There is no one way to describe his style since it changed as much as he did. His poetry reached diverse audiences throughout many countries and that is a feat in itself.
Writing poetry is like writing prose on steroids, with its requirements and rigors. Reading and interpreting poetry takes more effort than prose, in my opinion. The fact that he made it easy for his audiences by vocalizing and interpreting his work made it possible for his poetry to reach people in countless numbers. There is no end to the great poetry that abounds in the world, but it doesn't necessarily reach the people.
This account presents Dylan's personal and public life with an abundance of photographs and reveals the very high as well as the very low points. At less than one hundred pages it presents an excellent portrait of the artist.

[Tim OBrien · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to learn something of Dylan's life and career this is a good place to start. It's a quick read,just 96 pages (with lots of pictures). And the photographs are fascinating. If this book whets your interest in Dylan I would recommend two other books: Dylan's own book "Chronicles, Vol. 1" Chronicles, Vol. 1 and Sean Wilentz's "Bob Dylan in America" Bob Dylan in America.

[Rora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. Bob Dylan`s life is not one that can be fully understood, although we always try. He can be seen as amazingly blunt or cold but no one can label him anything less than brilliant. An analysis of his life just gives some more insight into the most complex man around.