Bob Dylan received France's Legion of Honor, it's highest cultural award yesterday. The culture minister Aurelie Fillippetti praised the singer-songwriter for inspiring young people in a brief ceremony yesterday, the BBC reported.
In her speech, the minster spoke about Dylan's cultural importance and talked about his drawing inspiration for songs from French poets including Verlaine et Rimbaud. She spoke of the message behind his lyrics, tying them to civil rights movements in the U.S. and the famous Paris student uprising of May 1968.
According to the article, Dylan has never been one to be the face for other people's causes, so after the speech, he simply stated that he was "proud and grateful" then left. Cameras were prohibited at the ceremony.
The article points out that Dylan never recorded any songs in French but being a cultural icon in the 1960s and '70s, a generation of people in France fell in love with his message and music.
According to the article, the Order of the Legion of Honour was established by Napoleon and is presented to individuals who have served France in one way or another.
This was not the first government to honor Dylan. Last year, President Obama awarded him the Medal of Freedom.
