Bob Dylan is arguably the single-most important figure in American popular music in the second half of the 20th century, a point made emphatically when he received the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. Though scholars had approached his work as serious poetry for decades, few had considered the matter of how Dylan’s Jewish heritage and upbringing affected his creative output. With help from all the critical and analytical writing about Dylan’s Jewishness, we will explore selected works of this enigmatic singer/songwriter through the lens of midrash, of the prophetic tradition, Yiddish humor and the past 100 years of Jewish-American songwriting. This presentation will include music and video clips and Dylan’s own words to tell the story. Featured songs: “When the Ship Comes In”, “Forever Young”, “Father of Night”, “I Pity the Poor Immigrant”, “One More Cup of Coffee”, “Neighborhood Bully”, and “Hava Nagila”.
About John Clark
Born and raised in Ohio, John taught adult education for twenty years for Emory University and Mercer University in Atlanta, creating classes on Fifties, Sixties and American Roots music and a series called Lyrics as Literature. From 2008-2014 he was also a high school history and English teacher. Since moving to Boston in 2014, he has taught adult and community education for five different programs, including Brandeis, Tufts and Cambridge. In 2025 he presented 380 American Music history lectures for senior living communities and Councils on Aging in the Boston area. John boasts a combined record and CD collection of over 8,000 recordings.
