Chronicles: Volume One
 Hardcover jacket | |
| Author | Bob Dylan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Bob Dylan |
| Genre | Autobiography Music |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | October 5, 2004 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 304 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-7432-2815-4 (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 56634799 |
| 782.42164/092 B 22 | |
| LC Class | ML420.D98 A3 2004 |
Chronicles, Volume One is a memoir written by American musician Bob Dylan. The book was published on October 5, 2004, by Simon & Schuster.
The 304-page book covers three selected points from Dylan's long career: 1961, 1970, and 1989, while he was writing and recording Bob Dylan, New Morning and Oh Mercy, respectively. Chronicles is allegedly the first part of a planned 3-volume collection.
The book spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction books.[1] Chronicles, Volume One was one of five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award in the Biography/Autobiography category for the 2004 publishing year.
Background
Chronicles began as Dylan's attempt at writing liner notes for reissues of Bob Dylan, New Morning and Oh Mercy, but expanded into a larger project: "I got completely carried away in the process of... I guess call it, 'novelistic writing."[2] Dylan claimed to work without an editor or collaborator while creating the book.[3]
Plot summary
Defying expectations,[4] Dylan wrote three chapters about the year between his arrival in New York City in 1961 and recording his first album, focusing on a brief period of relative obscurity, while virtually ignoring the mid-1960s when his fame was at its height.
He also devoted chapters to two lesser-known albums, New Morning (1970) and Oh Mercy (1989), which contained insights into his collaborations with poet Archibald MacLeish and producer Daniel Lanois. In the New Morning chapter, Dylan expresses distaste for the "spokesman of a generation" label bestowed upon him, and evinces disgust with his more fanatical followers.
At the end of the book, Dylan describes with great passion the moment when he listened to the Brecht/Weill song "Pirate Jenny", and the moment when he first heard Robert Johnson's recordings. In these passages, Dylan suggests that the process ignited his own songwriting.
Reception
Chronicles received many positive reviews, with The Telegraph remarking that the book had "garnered unanimous critical acclaim in the press."[5] The New York Times said that the book "is lucid without being linear, swirling through time without losing its strong storytelling thread."[6]
In an interview conducted by Jonathan Lethem, published in Rolling Stone,[7] Dylan said he was very moved by the book's reception. "Most people who write about music, they have no idea what it feels like to play it. But with the book I wrote, I thought, 'The people who are writing reviews of this book, man, they know what the hell they're talking about.' It spoils you … they know more about it than me. The reviews of this book, some of 'em almost made me cry—in a good way. I'd never felt that from a music critic ever."
In 2019, Chronicles was ranked 95th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century.[8]
Accusations of inaccuracy
Noted Dylan biographer Clinton Heylin has shown skepticism concerning the factualness of the book: "As far as I can tell almost everything in the Oh Mercy section of Chronicles is a work of fiction. I enjoy Chronicles as a work of literature, but it has a[s] much basis in reality as Masked And Anonymous, and why shouldn't it? He's not the first guy to write a biography that's a pack of lies."[9] Tom Carson of New York Times Book Review also called the Oh Mercy chapter "a fairly fishy self-justification, but a good short story," and added: "The book is an act, but a splendid one – his sense of strategy vis-à-vis his audience hasn't been this keen in 30 years -- and it's a zesty, nugget-filled read."[10]
Accusations of plagiarism
Some Dylan fans, like New Mexico disc jockey Scott Warmuth and Catholic University scholar Edward Cook, have deeply researched the unique language used throughout Chronicles: Volume One, and believe that the book appropriates phrases, anecdotes, and descriptions from numerous authors.[11] Wamuth and Cook believe that Dylan has quoted unique phrases (or sometimes, the bulk of full sentences) from books by Mezz Mezzrow, Marcel Proust, and Mark Twain. The pair also believe that Dylan cribbed phrases from less-likely sources, such as a TIME article from 1961, and a travel guide to New Orleans.[2]
A number of these plagiarism and inaccuracy concerns were detailed in David Kinney's book about hard-core fans of the artist, titled The Dylanologists: Adventures in the Land of Bob, as well as The Daily Beast.[11]
Sequel
Simon & Schuster have said that Dylan was expected to have begun working on Chronicles Vol. 2 while on a break from the Never Ending Tour in May 2008.[12] According to the book A Simple Twist of Fate, the sequel may feature a section detailing the making of Blood on the Tracks.[13] In August 2010, a source close to Dylan told Rolling Stone that there were no current plans to publish Chronicles Vol. 2: "I hope there's another one. That's all I can say. If it was planned I'd tell you."[14]
In September 2012, Dylan told Rolling Stone that he is working on Volume 2.[3] Dylan was quoted as saying that he had already completed chapters concerning The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and Another Side of Bob Dylan, and that the book may focus primarily on the early years of his recording career.[3] During the interview, he claimed that the biggest holdup in the process was not the writing itself, but rather the editing: "I don't mind writing it, but it's the rereading it and the time it takes to reread it – that for me is difficult. The last Chronicles I did all myself."[3]
Audiobook version
The abridged audio version of the book is read by actor Sean Penn. The unabridged version is read by Nick Landrum.
References
- ^ Barton, Laura (2005-09-26). "All you can eat – guardian.co.uk Arts". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ a b Kinney, David (2015). The Dylanologists: Adventures in the Land of Bob. Simon & Schuster. p. 162. ISBN 1451626932.
- ^ a b c d The Guardian article: "Bob Dylan working on Chronicles sequel."
- ^ Maslin, Janet (2004-10-05). "So You Thought You Knew Dylan? Hah!". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ The Telegraph article: "Bob Dylan's Chronicles: what the critics said".
- ^ New York Times book review: "So You Thought You Knew Dylan? Hah!"
- ^ "The Modern Times of Bob Dylan: A Legend Comes to Grips With His Iconic Status : RS 1008". 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ "The 100 best books of the 21st century". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- ^ Rolling Stone article: "Questions About Bob Dylan's Claim That He was Once a Heroin Addict."
- ^ New York Times article: "Chronicles: Zimmerman Unbound."
- ^ a b Francescani, Chris (18 May 2014). "Bob Dylan's 'Da Vinci Code' Revealed". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ^ "News". Uncut.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
- ^ Boudreau, Mark (2008-06-12). "Cover Story Interview – Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks", with photography by Paul Till". The Rock and Roll Report. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
- ^ Rolling Stone article: "Dylan's New 'Bootleg' to Feature Unearthed Live Show."
External links
- Chronicles Vol. 1 at Metacritic
- Chronicles Vol. 1 at Google Books
- Dylan's Self Portrait. Gilmore, Mikal. Rolling Stone. 2004. Retrieved November 2009. (Archived at Internet Archive – Wayback Machine)
