GUITARS AND TARANTULAS: THE SPANISH-SPEAKING WORLD AND THE WORK OF BOB DYLAN o0o by Christopher Rollason, Ph.D - <
[email protected]> This article was originally written in February 2005 and was last updated on 28 June 2007. o0o ABSTRACT This article examines a series of aspects of the relationship between the work of Bob Dylan and the cultures of Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America. The aspects considered include: Spanish and Latin American themes and references in Dylan's songs and prose texts; tours and cover versions; the reception of Dylan's work by Spanish-speaking critics and intellectuals; influences and parallels between Dylan's work and that of Spanish and Latin American musicians and writers, notably Federico García Lorca; and the translation of Dylan into Spanish. Dylan's work is seen as a hybrid cultural phenomenon, generating fertile connections between high-cultural and more popular elements. It is argued that this is also a characteristic of much Spanish and Latin American cultural production. From this perspective, the relationship between Dylan's work and Hispanophone culture is seen as an exemplary case of creative bridge-building, both within and between cultural systems. Note 1: This is an ongoing piece of research which has been several times updated on-line. Reader input is welcome. Note 2: All translations in this essay from Spanish (and occasionally Catalan and Galician) are my own unless otherwise stated. 'Sólo soy un guitarrista' - Bob Dylan, Tarantula, 1966 'La guitarra, … como la tarántula, teje una gran estrella' ('The guitar, … like the tarantula, weaves a great star') - Federico García Lorca, 'Las seis cuerdas', 1931 I - SPANISH MANNERS: INTRODUCTION The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between the work of Bob Dylan and the cultures, literatures and musics of the Spanish-speaking world.