BRITAIN: Bob Dylan is writing his memoirs, the first volume of which, Chronicles: Volume One, is to be published in October by Simon & Schuster. Two other volumes will follow.
The autobiography will be a first-person narrative from the famously reclusive music icon, who rose to fame in the early 1960s and whose musical style ranged from folk and blues to rock, country and gospel.
The first volume focuses on significant periods in Dylan's life and is described by publisher David Rosenthal as "extraordinary, revealing and surprising. It is a beautifully written, singular achievement".
The 304-page book is due out on October 12th and will be followed about a week later by an updated edition of Lyrics: 1962- 2001, a compendium of lyrics to nearly every Dylan song.
Born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota, Dylan left the University of Minnesota for New York's Greenwich Village folk music scene at the start of the 1960s. He soon won fame for his such protest anthems as Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They are A-changin'.
He helped create the folk-rock sound and scored a big singles hit with Like a Rolling Stone and Just Like a Woman.
Dylan (63), who still tours the world with his rock band and played in Galway this summer, was given a lifetime achievement award at the Grammies in 1991.
He previously published Tarantula, a 1971 volume of poems, mainly in stream-of-consciousness style.