Bob Dylan has been awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture." He is the first rock artist ever to receive the award. Until 2004, only classical composers were eligible for the prize. Since then, both Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk have won. "Dylan's a legendary figure in American music and culture." says Sig Gissler, the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes at the Columbia University School of Journalism. "He has had a great impact on both music and culture. His compositions have a powerful poetic quality to them that I think helped set him apart."

This story is from the May 1st, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone.

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