After Nobel no-show, Dylan sets gigs in Sweden in April

Music icon Bob Dylan will perform in Sweden in April, a concert organiser said on Monday, giving this year's Nobel literature laureate a chance to to collect his prize in person after snubbing a weekend awards ceremony.

The American singer declined to attend Saturday's glitzy Nobel event in Stockholm due to "pre-existing commitments", but said in a speech read on his behalf that he was "honoured" to receive the award. 

The Nobel Foundation has previously said his prize should be presented to him in person sometime in 2017, either in Sweden or abroad.

But the Swedish Academy, which awards the literature prize, said it had no information yet whether Dylan would use the occasion to collect his award or hold his Nobel prize lecture, which is the only requirement for prizewinners and can be anything from a short speech, a performance or a song. 

"He should hold (a lecture), this is his chance, but we know nothing," a member of the Swedish Academy, Per Wastberg, told AFP. 

When Dylan refused to publicly acknowledge his Nobel accolade for more than two weeks after the October 14 announcement, Wastberg had slammed his silence as "impolite" and "arrogant".

The 75-year-old's decision not to attend the gala ceremony also created a stir in Sweden, where it was perceived as a slight to the Swedish Academy and Nobel Foundation.

But in a thank-you speech read out by US ambassador Azita Raji during Saturday's gala banquet honouring this year's laureates, Dylan expressed his gratitude. 

"If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I'd have about the same odds as standing on the moon," he said. 

The Nobel prize consists of a gold medal, a diploma and a cheque for eight million Swedish kronor (824,000 euros, $871,000).

The first songwriter to win the prestigious award, Dylan is set to perform in Stockholm on April 1-2 and in the southern city of Lund on April 9, concert organiser Live Nation said in a statement.