Stockholm -
Judging by online betting odds on Tuesday, US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has joined the top contenders for the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Dylan's odds were 11 to 1, putting him in fourth place, according to the online betting agency Ladbrokes. Earlier this year, the folk-rock legend was considered a long-shot at 101 to 1.
Topping Ladbokes list were two poets - Syrian-born poet Adonis (Ali Ahmad Said Asbar) at 5 to 1, followed by Swedish author Tomas Transtromer at 8 to 1. Both have for years been tipped as possible literature laureates.
Japan's Haruki Murakami rounded off the top-three list, at 9 to 1.
“Historically, it usually is a good indication when we see bets increasing on a certain person on the list,” said Ladbrokes spokeswoman Sofia Hjartberg.
The prize is to be announced in Stockholm on Thursday.
Last year, the Swedish Academy chose Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa. - Sapa-dpa