You may know his music, you may not, but if you want to have a taste of what a superb writer, lyricist and poet this man is then dip in to this book of poems. Absolutely brilliant stuff. Well that’s our opinion anyway!
September 2009 Guest Editor Emily Barr on Book of Longing by LEONARD COHEN
Leonard Cohen has had a huge effect on me, since I discovered him in my late teens. A poet since the sixties, he gets wiser and more wonderful as the years go by. Book of Longing is a book of poetry, illustrated with Cohen’s own witty line drawings. Self deprecating and thought provoking, it makes you look at the world slightly differently, as the best writing ought to do.
Leonard Cohen is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry, 'Let Us Compare Mythologies', in 1956 and his first novel, the semi-autobiographical 'The Favourite Game', in 1963. Cohen has recorded and collaborated on numerous albums, and published several books of poetry and an experimental and critically-acclaimed novel, 'Beautiful Losers' (1966). Cohen is renowned as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the century (over 1,000 renditions of his songs have been recorded) and was inducted into the American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Lou Reed has described Cohen as among the 'highest and most influential echelon of songwriters'.
After years of seclusion as a Buddhist monk, Cohen is now back in the limelight with a sell-out world tour in 2008, the Perennial re-release of his novels and speculation of an album of new songs on the cards. Leonard Cohen lives in Montreal, Canada.
