Tarantula

Written in 1966, Tarantula is a collection of poems and prose that evokes the turbulence of the times in which it was written, and gives a unique insight into Dylans creative evolution. The good samaritan coming in with the words round & round we go tattoed on his cheek / he tells the senator to stop insulting the lawyer. Tarantula captures Bob Dylans preoccupations at a crucial juncture in his artistic development, showcasing the antic imagination of a folk poet laureate who was able to combine the humanity and compassion of his country roots with the playful surrealism of modern art. Angry, funny and strange, the poems and prose in this collection reflect the concerns we find in Dylans most seminal music: a sense of protest, a verbal playfulness and spontaneity, and a belief in the artistic legitimacy of chronicling everyday life and eccentricity on the street. Tarantula never made its publication date in Autumn 1966. To the delays added by Dylans constant revisions was added the greater complication of his motorcyle accident which left him with still undisclosed injuries and kept the book from publication until 1971. In the interim, it became a cult phenomenon, with bookleg editions photocopied from reviewer proofs circulating throughout the musical and literary demi-mondes. Reissued to coincide with the paperback release of Chronicles Volume 1, Tarantula will finally find the wider audience it deserves.