James Mustich interviews Greil Marcus and Sean Wilentz on their new books about Bob Dylan, released this month and last month, respectively. Here is Marcus on the majesty of Dylan's Hibbing High School, how it informed Dylan's love of learning, and meeting his former English teacher:
Think about how rare it is for anyone to encounter a teacher who can ... open you up to the notion that there is an infinite amount of meaning and possibility and inspiration in the smallest thing before you. That's what this teacher could do. That was the poetry on the walls. Yes, there is literally poetry chiseled on the walls of Hibbing High School, from Wordsworth and any number of other people, and it's pretty great stuff. But this was a different kind of poetry.