Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life - Hardcover

Marshall, Scott M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1944229647 ISBN 13: 9781944229641

Publisher: BP Books, 2017

Synopsis

Never before has a book like this one delved into the spiritual odyssey of cultural icon Bob Dylan. Tracking an American original―from his Jewish roots to his controversial embrace of Jesus to his enduring legacy as the composer of the Tempest album―Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life delivers the story of a man in dogged pursuit of redemption.

Based on years of research and original interviews, this book sorts through the myths and misunderstandings and reveals Dylan to be both traditional and radical in the way he expresses his spiritual quest for purpose and meaning. "Call Dylan whatever you want, but the name won’t stick," said foreword writer and film director Scott Derrickson. "What does stick is his music, in part because his songs contain a deep, abiding spirituality that moves listeners like me more than the songs of any other artist."

Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life bridges the gap between purpose and meaning in grand fashion. It offers readers an informative, entertaining, and nuanced look into Bob Dylan’s spiritual odyssey. Today, there is not a Dylan book in existence that exclusively focuses on his spiritual odyssey through years of research and original interviews with those who know him and his journey well, such as Barry Beckett, Arthur Blessit, T-Bone Burnett, Carolyn Dennis, Dave Kelly, Regina McCrary, Maria Muldaur, Scott Ross, Jerry Wexler, and Paul Wasserman. The evidence abounds and Dylan's friends and fans provide a plethora of insight into this veritable music icon's spiritual side.

“I’ve had a God-given sense of destiny," said Dylan in 2001. "This is what I was put on earth to do.”

About this title

From the Author:

Scott M. Marshall is the author of Restless Pilgrim. His articles and interviews have appeared in Isis and The Bridge, two long-running British publications dedicated to Dylan. He is also the author of “Bob Dylan’s Unshakeable Monotheism,” a four-part series published by Jewsweek.com. Marshall received his B.S. in counseling skills, his M.A. in journalism, and taught communication classes since 2003 at private and public colleges. He currently teaches English and is working on manuscripts about Woody Allen’s films and the D.B. Cooper Case.

Scott Derrickson is an American director, screenwriter and producer. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Review:

Well researched and energetically argued, a challenging new view of a complicated man.
—Eric Alterman, award-winning author and columnist at The Nation

Bob Dylan is a Jew and a Christian and a steadfast contrarian. Scott Marshall provides a balanced, comprehensive account of the Nobel Prize winner’s spiritual life—a mysterious journey of Biblical proportions.
—Don Lattin, longtime religion writer at the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of Changing Our Minds

Mr. Marshall skillfully weaves his tale with relevant quotes as Dylan travels from seeing the Bible as ‘just literature’ to believing ‘in the Bible, literally’.
—Andrew Muir, author of One More Night: Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour and Shakespeare in Cambridge: A Celebration of the Shakespeare Festival

Wow, Oh my, and Thank You are the words that kept coming to mind as I read Scott Marshall’s masterly Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life. Wow for the extent of research, which is top-notch; Oh my for the  scores of facts and anecdotes I’d never run across before (and I’ve been reading Dylan bios for decades!); and Thank You for what is probably the best-argued book on the enduring biblical pulse at the heart of Dylan’s music. As the author himself says, “Why bet against Dylan having a place at that heavenly welcome table?” Wow, Oh my, and Thank You, Scott Marshall!
—Robert Hudson, editor, Zondervan; author, The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style and Kiss the Earth When You Pray

Scott Marshall comes as close as anyone ever will to documenting the complete and complex record of Bob Dylan’s continuing spiritual journey.
—Jeffrey Gaskill, producer, Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan: A Spiritual Life contributes significantly to our understanding of the enigmatic Nobel laureate.
—Randall Balmer, Emmy Award nominee; Dartmouth College

About this edition

• Publisher: BP Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1944229647
• ISBN 13: 9781944229641
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304