US President Barack Obama gave the United States' top civilian honor to musician Bob Dylan, novelist Toni Morrison and 11 other people he said have had an "incredible impact" on society through their words and actions.
The 2012 Nobel Literature Prize will be announced on Thursday, organisers said, with Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami the bookmakers' favorite to win the 8 million crown ($1.2 million) award.
Rock legend Bob Dylan took to his website to dispute accusations he bowed to censorship for his first ever concerts in China last month.
A new Bob Dylan studio album, "Tempest", will be released on September 11th to mark the 50th anniversary of the folk singer-songwriter's debut album, Columbia Records said.