Bob Dylan has never been one to kowtow to critics, regardless of whether they deride him or shower him with praise. In a somewhat surprising example of the latter, the Swedish Academy announced last October that Dylan was to be awarded the coveted Nobel Prize in literature, an honor conventionally reserved for craftsmen of the written word.

As the first songwriter in history to receive the award, the selection was met with some controversy in the literary community. Dylan himself may have addressed the nebulous correlation between songwriting and literature best in his written acceptance speech for the prize, released back in December in lieu of his attendance at the award ceremony and banquet in Stockholm. 

Inside Bob Dylan's GRAMMY history

Despite initial speculation that Dylan might be snubbing the Swedish Academy — the GRAMMY winner cited prior commitments as the cause of his absence — his written speech clearly emanated gratitude and demonstrated his prowess for prose, a skill he wielded impressively just two years prior during his 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year acceptance speech.

According to Billboard, Dylan has finally agreed to accept the Nobel Prize in Sweden, making plans to meet with the academy in conjunction with two upcoming Stockholm concert dates on April 1–2. The Swedish Academy stipulates that for Dylan to receive the cash prize of 8 million kroner (approximately $900,000), he must deliver a lecture by June.

Professor Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, wrote via her blog regarding the meeting: "The setting will be small and intimate, and no media will be present; only Bob Dylan and members of the academy will attend, all according to Dylan's wishes."

Want more Bob Dylan? Watch highlights from his remarkable MusiCares Person of the Year tribute