James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, featuring actor Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, certainly lives up to its title when it comes to examining how the American singer and poet has been covered in Le Monde.

When Dylan's name first appeared in the French newspaper, on November 26, 1965, it had almost snuck in. In an article titled "Black and White Folklore" in the Records section, published beside an analysis of a new interpretation of Götterdämmerung (aka. Twilight of the Gods) by Richard Wagner, a columnist named Philidor gave a fleeting nod to Dylan. He wrote: "The musical folklore of the United States, whether White or Black, enjoys a wide audience, and records from across the Atlantic reach us in series [...] This is, ultimately, a folklore largely inspired by the West, with its campfire ballads and 'wide open spaces,' as featured in the album The Best of Folk Songs. It includes Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan – who are causing a sensation on this side of the Atlantic – Brothers Four and Johnny Cash. Unequal talents, but the collection exudes a friendly, good-natured atmosphere." It was impossible to know which of the listed artists fell into the category of "unequal talents."

There's no denying that, for a long time, Le Monde overlooked the Dylan phenomenon. The singer's first album dates back to 1962; The Times They Are a-Changin' was released in 1964; and Highway 61 Revisited the following year: All masterpieces that flew under the paper's radar.

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