American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday. The Swedish Academy said it chose Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” Some people were excited to see the news. Author Salman Rushdie called Dylan a “great choice.” U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Dylan on Twitter. He described Dylan as one of his favorite poets. Others were not sure that a famous and successful musician needed to win a literature prize for his work. They thought the Academy should have picked a writer who would gain new readers because of the award. Writer Hari Kunzru tweeted: “we all know his records already.” The Nobel Prize in Literature is worth $906,000.