ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an introduction to the volume All Along Bob Dylan – America and the World. It sketches the scholarly discussion of Bob Dylan's oeuvre and his trickster performance of authenticity, in which the artist creates a famously contradictory media image. Moreover, it addresses Dylan's reception and his global appeal, while touching upon some of the innovations within his work or its features. What is demonstrated is Dylan’s storytelling as well as the necessity for considering his lyrics without isolating them from the music. The chapter also outlines the general theoretical questions concerning possible approaches to the artist and his work, and presents the organisation of the material with a brief summary of the key points of each chapter.
