'If I accept the prize? Of course': Bob Dylan FINALLY acknowledges Nobel Prize win as an 'amazing' honor but remains cryptic about whether he'll attend award ceremony in December

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Bob Dylan finally acknowledged his Nobel Prize win, calling it an 'amazing' honor although it remains unclear whether he'll fly to Stockholm to accept the award in December. 

Dylan said, 'The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless. I appreciate the honor so much,' according to a statement released on Friday by the Nobel Foundation.

He added: 'If I accept the prize? Of course.'    

When pressed about whether he was planning to accept the award in person, he seemed certain before qualifying his statement, 'Absolutely. If it's at all possible,' he said in an interview with the Telegraph. 

The folk singer, who won the prize for literature for his book 'The Lyrics 1961-2012', did not acknowledge the Swedish Academy's October 13 announcement for nearly two weeks, prompting members of the group to call him 'impolite and arrogant.'

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Bob Dylan called his Nobel Prize win an 'amazing' honor, but remains cryptic about whether he'll fly to Stockholm to accept the award in December

Above, the musician's website as it appeared on Thursday, boasting that his book The Lyrics 1961-2012 had won the Nobel Prize for literature. By Friday, the line was deleted

The elusive musician stayed mum since the October 13 announcement, which credited him 'for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition'.

The win received a mention on his website last Thursday, when the line 'WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE' appeared in the book's description.

Just one day later, the sentence was removed without any explanation.  

After sending the very mixed signals, Dylan appeared enthusiastic about becoming the first musician to pick up the literature award, saying it was 'amazing' and 'incredible'.

He also told the Telegraph: 'It’s hard to believe...Whoever dreams about something like that?'  

Swedish Academy's Sara Danius (left) said the award ceremony will be a big party regardless of whether Dylan attends, while another member, Per Wastberg, called him 'arrogant' (right)

Dylan (pictured) had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years, but few experts expected the academy to extend the prestigious award to a musician

Dylan has since called the organization to express his gratitude after the Swedish Academy, which announced his win, appeared frustrated with his initial response.

Before Dylan returned their calls, one member of the Swedish Academy, Per Wastberg, told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter: 'One can say that it is impolite and arrogant. He is who he is.

'We have agreed not to lift a finger. The ball lies entirely on his half,' Wastberg added.

By Friday, some confusion had been cleared up, and Dylan unequivocally accepted the honor.   

But he remained opaque about his plans, and when confronted about why he hadn't picked up previous calls from the Nobel Committee, Dylan simply said, 'Well, I'm right here.'

Every December 10, Nobel prize winners are invited to Stockholm to receive their awards from King Carl XVI Gustaf and to give a speech during a banquet.

The legendary folk singer won the prize for literature for his book 'The Lyrics 1961-2012' - the first time the prestigious award has been given to someone primarily seen as a musician

The Swedish Academy still does not know if Dylan plans to come to the event.

'If he doesn't want to come, he won't come. It will be a big party in any case and the honour belongs to him,' said Danius.

She noted that literature laureates have skipped the ceremony before. 

Elfriede Jelinek stayed home in 2004, citing a social phobia. Harold Pinter and Alice Munro missed the ceremony in 2005 and 2013, respectively, due to health reasons.

Only two people have declined a Nobel Prize in literature. Boris Pasternak did so under pressure from Soviet authorities in 1958 and Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined all official honors, turned it down in 1964.

Dylan, 75, whose lyrics have influenced generations of fans, is the first songwriter to win the literature prize.

Other contenders for this year's prize included Salman Rushdie, Adonis and Ngugi wa Thiong'o. 

Dylan has accepted numerous awards over the years, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, for which he attended a White House ceremony in 2012. But he also has a history of taking his time acknowledging them. 

In 2013, he became the first rock star voted into the elite American Academy of Arts and Letters, which made him an honorary member. 

According to executive director Virginia Dajani, the academy informed Dylan of the decision — through his manager, Jeff Rosen — in January of that year. Only in May 2013 did Dylan respond, through his manager.

'I feel extremely honored and very lucky to be included in this pantheon of great individual artists who comprise the (American) Academy of Arts and Letters. I look forward to meeting all of you some time soon,' Dylan, who did not attend the induction ceremony, said in his message.

If he travels to Stockholm for the pomp and circumstance of the Nobel ceremony, it won't be the first time he receives an award from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. 

In 2000, Dylan collected the Polar Music Prize from him.