Salman Rushdie hails 'brilliant' Nobel winner Bob Dylan

Nobel laureate Bob Dylan was on Thursday praised as "brilliant" by British author Salman Rushdie, who had been one of the favourites to pick up the prestigious literary award won by the US singer-songwriter.

A file picture dated 03 June 1984 shows US musician Bob Dylan performing at an open air concert at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany Source: AAP

"From Orpheus to Faiz, song & poetry have been closely linked. Dylan is the brilliant inheritor of the bardic tradition. Great choice," Rushdie wrote on Twitter following the announcement earlier Thursday that Dylan as this year's winner of the Nobel Literature Prize.

Dylan is the first songwriter to win the award, sweeping aside favourites including Rushdie, Syrian poet Adonis, and Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

Writing in the Guardian, Rushdie praised the Swedish Academy's choice, describing Dylan as a lyricist-songwriter who "towers over everyone".

"His words have been an inspiration to me ever since I first heard a Dylan album at school, and I am delighted by his Nobel win.

"The frontiers of literature keep widening, and it’s exciting that the Nobel prize recognises that," Rushdie wrote, adding he would spend the day playing Dylan songs.

India-born Rushdie has penned a dozen novels, short stories and non-fiction, and in 2007 was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature.

In 1989 he was subjected to a fatwa issued by Iran, which called for the author and publishers of his controversial novel "The Satanic Verses" to be killed.

Earlier this year the head of the Swedish Academy released a belated defence of Rushdie.

"The fact that the death sentence has been passed as punishment for a work of literature also implies a serious violation of free speech," the Academy's head Tomas Riad said in a March statement.

Obama hails Nobel winner Dylan as one of 'favorite poets'

US President Barack Obama on Thursday congratulated Bob Dylan on what he called his "well-deserved" Nobel literature prize, calling the music legend "one of my favorite poets."

Obama's message on Twitter contained a link to a Spotify playlist of Dylan's greatest hits including "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Like A Rolling Stone."

"Congratulations to one of my favorite poets, Bob Dylan, on a well-deserved Nobel," Obama tweeted -- a message retweeted nearly 3,000 times in 30 minutes.

The shock Nobel victory for the 75-year-old Dylan -- the first songwriter to take the prize -- stunned prize watchers.

He was honored "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," the Swedish Academy said.