David R. Wheeler is a freelance writer, a journalism professor at the University of Tampa, and the editor of the online magazine AliveTampaBay.com. Follow him on Twitter: @David_R_Wheeler . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Date: October 18, 2016

Subject: Bob Dylan

Elsa calls the 10 a.m. meeting of the Royal Swedish Academy to order.

"What's the status of the 'Dylan situation'?"

"Not good, Elsa," Viktor responds.

"How many times have we called him in Malibu?"

"Too many to count," Ludvig (the academy's secretary) says, popping his head through the open door on his way to get coffee.

Elsa taps her pencil against a yellow legal pad. "Any other ideas?"

Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Bob Dylan smokes a cigarette circa 1966. Dylan's music spoke to a generation of people during the 1960s, a tumultuous decade that forever changed America. He went on to become a rock 'n' roll legend and influence many musicians to come. In October 2016, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Dylan for "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs in 1961 at The Bitter End club in New York City. His first album, "Bob Dylan," debuted in 1962 and consisted mostly of old folk songs. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Joan Baez and Dylan perform during the March on Washington, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, on August 28, 1963. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs on stage in the 1960s. Dylan was known in his early career for playing the guitar and the harmonica, and for his distinctive vocal phrasing. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan listens to recordings of his album "Highway 61 Revisited" in 1965. It contained "Like a Rolling Stone," which went to No. 2 on U.S. charts. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation George Harrison and Dylan perform in the Concert for Bangladesh, held August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The concert earned them the Grammy Award for Album of the Year along with Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar and Ringo Starr. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan appears on set for the film "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" in 1973. Dylan also recorded the soundtrack for the film. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1974. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs with Robbie Robertson of The Band, right, and Van Morrison at The Band's farewell concert in 1976. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs with Tom Petty at Farm Aid in Chicago in 1985. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan poses for a photo with David Bowie in 1985. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan and Bruce Springsteen perform together in 1990. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Performance artist Michael Portnoy is taken off stage during Dylan's performance at the Grammy Awards in 1998. Portnoy had been hired as part of the background dancers for the performance, but his shirtless interruption was not planned and he was carted off stage. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs in Brighton, England, in 2002. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan appears with actress Jessica Lange during a news conference for the movie "Masked and Anonymous" in 2003. Dylan co-wrote the movie and starred in it. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan poses for photos at the University of St. Andrews after he received an honorary degree at the Scottish school in 2004. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation Dylan performs during the Grammy Awards in 2011. Dylan has won 10 Grammys in his career, as well as one Golden Globe Award and one Academy Award. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Bob Dylan: Voice of a generation President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dylan in the East Room of the White House in 2012. The award is the country's highest civilian honor. "I remember, you know, in college, listening to Bob Dylan and my world opening up, 'cause he captured something about this country that was so vital," Obama said. Hide Caption 18 of 18

Everyone stares in silence at the red telephone in the middle of the table — the one that will ring only if it's Bob Dylan calling them back.

Erik sheepishly raises his hand. "We could try contacting Victoria's Secret. Dylan did a commercial for them a few years back. Seems like they might have some leverage with him."

Elsa groans. "The Royal Swedish Academy is not going to stoop to begging an American lingerie company to help us get in touch with someone we want to give a Nobel Prize to. We've already compromised the integrity of this prize by giving it to a folk singer ."

"Not this again," Viktor says, rolling his eyes. "Elsa, the Nobel Prize must stay relevant. Dylan changed popular music. He changed a generation."

Anton, wearing a Nirvana T-shirt, speaks up. "I'm so sick and tired of hearing about the baby boomers. What about Generation X? What about the people who changed popular music in my generation? Now that Dylan has basically snubbed us, I think it's time we reconsider my idea for the Nobel Prize for Literature."

Agnes, who has been silent until now, picks up her laptop and walks out, slamming the door.

"Does anybody remember my idea?" asks Anton.

"Yes," Viktor says. "You wanted to give it to Paul Westerberg of the Replacements."

"Exactly," Anton says. "And we wouldn't have had this problem if we'd given it to Paul."

Viktor glances around the room nervously. "Anton, you're not going to launch into one of your..."

Anton cuts Viktor off by reciting lyrics from " Can't Hardly Wait ": "Jesus rides beside me / He never buys any smokes / Hurry up! Ain't you had enough of this stuff? / Ashtray floors, dirty clothes and filthy jokes."

Elsa stands up, angrily. "It doesn't compare to 'Highway 61 Revisited.' Best first line of a pop song ever: 'God said to Abraham, kill me a son..."

Ludvig walks in, back from getting coffee, breaking the tension in the room. Elsa sits back down.

"Where's Agnes?" Ludvig asks.

"Don't ask," Erik says, shaking his head.

"Can I have Agnes' mocha latte, then?" Ludvig says, removing it from the cardboard carrier.

"Fine, Ludvig," Elsa says. "Now can we please get back to deciding what to do about the Dylan situation?"

"Easy solution," Anton says, taking a swig of his salted caramel mocha. "Give it to Paul Westerberg."

Klara, the only millennial in the group, raises her hand. "Could we consider giving it to a songwriter from my generation?"

The group bursts into laughter.

Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Today Bob Dylan is one of the most renowned figures in pop-music history -- a groundbreaking songwriter, a much-honored talent, an inscrutable persona. But in 1961 he was just a 19-year-old kid from Minnesota scrambling to make a living in New York's folk clubs. In September 1961, he posed for a portrait with his Gibson acoustic guitar -- around the time that Columbia Records scout John Hammond first met him at a rehearsal. Hammond signed Dylan at the end of September. Dylan's first album was six months away. Hide Caption 1 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning That first record, 1962's "Bob Dylan," didn't sell much, but the young performer was already earning a reputation among musicians as a powerful talent. Dylan soaked up the hothouse atmosphere, learning classics and reshaping them in his image -- an image he was always aware of, even in the early days. Hide Caption 2 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning In 1963, Dylan got the call performers dreamed about: an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," one of the most popular TV shows in the country. (A year later, Sullivan would introduce the Beatles.) At rehearsals, shown here, Dylan performed "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues." But some CBS brass, worried about controversy over the song's mockery of the right-wing John Birch Society, were nervous, and Dylan declined to perform something else. He never did appear on "Sullivan." Hide Caption 3 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Suddenly, Dylan became a name. He performed at the 1963 March on Washington; his song "Blowin' in the Wind" was covered by Peter, Paul & Mary and became a Top Five hit. He was in demand. He started retreating to Woodstock, New York, a haven for artists since the early 20th century and where his manager, Albert Grossman, had a home. Dylan is pictured here on a Triumph motorcycle behind the town's Cafe Espresso in 1964. Hide Caption 4 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Dylan's early work was in more traditional folk and protest veins, but he started looking inward with 1964's "Another Side of Bob Dylan." His lyrics, in particular, became more imagistic. In early 1965, he started work on a new album, "Bringing It All Back Home." In some cases, the songs were accompanied by a full rock band. Dylan is shown here at the beginning of the "Back Home" sessions with guitarist Kenny Rankin, left, and other musicians at Columbia's Studio A in New York. Hide Caption 5 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Electric Bob might not have thrilled his old folk fans, but it gave him a whole new audience -- one that took his 1965 song "Like a Rolling Stone" to No. 2 on the pop charts. In April 1966, Dylan embarked on a European tour that saw him visit Sweden, Denmark, France, Ireland and Great Britain. The dates were sometimes contentious. Hide Caption 6 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Many of the concerts were raucous affairs, with audience members yelling at Dylan and Dylan yelling back. (The Manchester, England, show was captured on "Live 1966: The 'Royal Albert Hall' Concert.") Dylan left for France on May 22; this photo shows him arriving at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. Hide Caption 7 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning Dylan performs at Paris' Olympia theater on May 24, 1966, his 25th birthday. He followed the Paris show with two shows in London. They would be the last live concerts he would do until he re-emerged at Britain's Isle of Wight Festival in 1969. Hide Caption 8 of 9 Photos: Bob Dylan, in the beginning He had reasons for getting out of the spotlight. He'd gotten married in late 1965 and wanted to spend time with his family; he also was in a motorcycle accident in July 1966 and needed time to recover. So he regrouped in Woodstock, playing with the backing musicians from his European tour -- a group that would become The Band. And he devoted himself, as Dylan does, to something new. Fifty years later, the tireless troubadour is still looking. After all, as he said in 1963, "There is nothing so stable as change." Hide Caption 9 of 9

"You mean like Taylor Swift?" says Erik, grinning widely.

Anton, already laughing uncontrollably, spits out his coffee into a napkin. "Erik, you gotta warn me first!"

The red telephone rings. Everyone freezes.

"Well, somebody answer it!" Erik says.

Elsa sets her pumpkin spice latte down and slowly reaches for the phone. "Hello?" she says, pushing the "speakerphone" button.

"Hey, is this the Royal Swedish Academy?" says a familiar voice. The sound of waves crashing can be heard in the background.

"Yes," Elsa says. Her eyes widen. She looks around the room, locking eyes with each academy member one by one.

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"I was just thinking ... I have an idea for you," says the caller, seemingly trying to suppress laughter.

"Yes, go on," Elsa says. "We're listening."

"Well, I have an idea for who should win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry this year."

Academy members look at each other.

"It's my ... my neighbor. He's five years old. He came up with a cool new drink called Blue Bonanza with his chemistry set!" The caller laughs for about 30 seconds. Sounds of a hand slapping a table can be heard amid the crash of the surf.

"Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea," Elsa says. "Move to table this discussion until tomorrow?"

"So moved," says Viktor.

"All in favor?" Elsa asks.

Everyone raises their hands. Academy members leave the room one by one. The caller continues to laugh. "How about the Peace Prize to my neighbor down the street, a divorce attorney who got the Johnsons to agree to mediation?"

Elsa, left alone, hangs up the phone.

10:30 a.m. Meeting adjourned.