Leonard Cohen Book Of Longing

Delving into the Depths: Leonard Cohen's "Book of Longing" – A Poetic Exploration of Faith, Doubt, and the Human Condition

Are you captivated by the enigmatic poetry of Leonard Cohen? Do you crave a deeper understanding of his spiritual journey and the raw vulnerability he poured into his work? Then prepare to embark on a profound exploration of Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing, a collection that transcends simple poetry and delves into the very core of the human experience. This comprehensive guide will dissect the book's themes, structure, and lasting impact, offering insightful analysis and a pathway to appreciating its complex beauty. We'll explore its key sections, uncover hidden meanings, and equip you with the tools to fully engage with Cohen's poignant reflections on faith, doubt, love, and loss.

Unveiling the Essence of "Book of Longing"

Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing isn't just a collection of poems; it's a confessional diary, a spiritual wrestling match, and a testament to the enduring power of human emotion. Published in 2006, it stands as a unique addition to Cohen's already extensive oeuvre, showcasing a mature and introspective artist grappling with his faith, his mortality, and the ever-present tension between longing and fulfillment. Unlike his earlier works, which often employed more structured poetic forms, Book of Longing is characterized by its raw, unfiltered honesty and a conversational tone that draws the reader directly into Cohen's intimate world.

Key Themes Explored in Cohen's Masterpiece

The poems within Book of Longing are not easily categorized; they weave together a tapestry of interconnected themes that resonate deeply with readers. Let's delve into some of the most prominent:

1. Spirituality and Doubt: Cohen, a lifelong spiritual seeker, never shies away from confronting the complexities of faith. Book of Longing showcases this internal struggle intensely. The poems oscillate between moments of profound spiritual connection and agonizing doubt, reflecting the human experience of grappling with the divine. He explores various spiritual traditions, often referencing Jewish mysticism and Buddhism, without adhering strictly to any single dogma.

2. Love and Loss: Cohen's exploration of love, both romantic and familial, is deeply poignant. He masterfully portrays the bittersweet nature of relationships, acknowledging the pain of loss and the enduring power of memory. The poems explore the complexities of human connection, acknowledging both the ecstatic highs and the crushing lows.

3. Mortality and the Passage of Time: As an aging artist reflecting on his life's journey, Cohen confronts mortality with a unique blend of acceptance and defiance. The poems grapple with the inevitability of death, but they also celebrate the beauty and fleeting nature of life's experiences. Time becomes a central theme, shaping memories and influencing perspectives.

4. The Poetics of Everyday Life: Cohen doesn't shy away from the mundane aspects of existence. He finds poetry in everyday occurrences, transforming ordinary moments into profound reflections on the human condition. This ability to elevate the commonplace makes his work accessible and deeply relatable.

Structural Analysis: A Journey Through the Poetic Landscape

Book of Longing is not structured in a traditional linear fashion. Instead, it presents a series of interconnected poems that flow organically, allowing the reader to move through Cohen's thoughts and emotions as if following a stream of consciousness. The lack of rigid structure enhances the intimate and confessional nature of the work, contributing to its overall impact.

A Detailed Outline of "Book of Longing"

I. Introduction: A brief preface setting the tone and offering a glimpse into Cohen's creative process at this stage in his life.

II. Main Chapters (Thematic Grouping, not explicitly divided):

Poems of Faith and Doubt: Explorations of spiritual seeking, questioning, and moments of both profound connection and profound disillusionment. Examples might include poems directly addressing God or reflecting on religious experiences.
Poems of Love and Loss: Intimate reflections on romantic relationships, familial bonds, and the enduring power of memory in the face of loss. This section would feature poems expressing both joy and sorrow associated with love.
Poems of Mortality and Time: Confrontations with aging, death, and the passage of time. This section might focus on poems exploring themes of legacy, impermanence, and the acceptance of mortality.
Poems of Everyday Life: Observations of the mundane, finding beauty and poetry in the seemingly ordinary aspects of existence. This section would include poems focusing on simple details of daily life, elevated to poetic significance.


III. Conclusion: A sense of resolution (or lack thereof), reflecting on the journey undertaken through the poems and the enduring nature of human longing.

Detailed Explanation of the Outline

I. Introduction: This would likely serve as a preface or foreword, either written by Cohen himself or a contributing editor, briefly setting the stage for the poems that follow. It might offer insights into the circumstances surrounding the creation of the book, the inspiration behind certain themes, or the overall intention behind the collection.

II. Main Chapters: This section forms the bulk of the book, categorized thematically rather than chronologically.

Poems of Faith and Doubt: These poems would constitute a significant portion of the book, reflecting Cohen's lifelong spiritual grappling. They might incorporate elements of Jewish mysticism, Buddhism, and other spiritual traditions, showing his search for meaning and truth. The poems would show the fluctuating nature of faith, with moments of profound belief juxtaposed with moments of doubt and questioning.

Poems of Love and Loss: This section explores the complexities of human relationships, focusing on the powerful emotions associated with love and loss. Cohen's poems often capture the bittersweetness of romantic love, but also the importance of familial bonds and the lasting impact of those who have passed.

Poems of Mortality and Time: These poems confront the inevitability of death and the fleeting nature of time. This section would include poems exploring reflection on mortality, the passage of time, and the acceptance of life's finite nature.

Poems of Everyday Life: This section would showcase Cohen's ability to find poetry in the ordinary. He elevates seemingly mundane observations, revealing hidden depths and profound meanings within the everyday experience. These poems might focus on specific moments, people, or events, emphasizing the poet's sharp observational skills and introspective nature.

III. Conclusion: The concluding section might not offer a neat resolution, but rather a reflection on the journey the reader has undertaken through the poems. It might leave the reader with a sense of the enduring nature of human longing, the complexities of the spiritual search, or the profound impact of love and loss.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What makes "Book of Longing" different from Cohen's other works? Book of Longing stands out for its raw honesty, its conversational tone, and its lack of strict poetic structure. It feels more like a personal journal than a carefully crafted collection.

2. What is the overall tone of the book? The tone is introspective, vulnerable, and often deeply melancholic, yet punctuated by moments of humor and wry observation.

3. Is the book suitable for beginners to Cohen's work? Yes, while familiarity with Cohen's music might enhance appreciation, Book of Longing's accessibility makes it a good starting point for newcomers.

4. What are the key themes explored in the book? Faith, doubt, love, loss, mortality, time, and the poetics of everyday life are central themes.

5. What type of reader would appreciate this book? Anyone interested in poetry, spiritual exploration, introspection, and the complexities of the human condition will find this book rewarding.

6. How long does it take to read "Book of Longing"? The reading time varies, but given the relatively short length of the poems, it can be completed within a few hours to a few days, depending on the reader’s pace and engagement.

7. Is there a specific order in which the poems should be read? No, the poems aren’t designed to be read in any particular order. Their interconnectedness allows for a more fluid reading experience.

8. Where can I purchase "Book of Longing"? The book is widely available from online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores.

9. Are there any companion resources available to help understand the book better? While there isn’t an official companion guide, numerous essays, articles, and online discussions offer additional insights and interpretations of the poems.

Related Articles:

1. Leonard Cohen's Spiritual Journey: A Deep Dive into His Beliefs and Influences: This article will explore the various religious and spiritual traditions that influenced Cohen’s life and work, providing context for the spiritual themes in Book of Longing.

2. The Poetics of Leonard Cohen: A Stylistic Analysis of His Literary Works: This article analyzes Cohen’s unique poetic style, comparing Book of Longing to his other works and examining his use of language, imagery, and structure.

3. Leonard Cohen and the Human Condition: Exploring Themes of Love, Loss, and Mortality: This article will focus on the universal themes of love, loss, and mortality explored across Cohen's work, particularly within Book of Longing.

4. The Musical Influences on Leonard Cohen's Poetry: This article investigates how Cohen’s musical background and songwriting shaped his poetry, noting musical influences in his choice of words and rhythm.

5. Comparing "Book of Longing" to "Poems and Songs": A Comparative Analysis: A side-by-side look at two significant works to highlight Cohen's artistic evolution and thematic changes.

6. The Legacy of Leonard Cohen: His Enduring Impact on Music and Literature: An exploration of Cohen’s lasting influence, examining his contributions to both music and literature, and how Book of Longing fits within this broader legacy.

7. Leonard Cohen's Use of Imagery and Symbolism in "Book of Longing": A close reading of specific poems, analyzing the use of symbolic language and imagery to convey deeper meanings.

8. Critical Reception of "Book of Longing": A Review of Critical Analyses: This piece summarizes the various critical interpretations of Book of Longing, offering a range of perspectives on the collection.

9. The Personal and Political in Leonard Cohen's Poetry: An exploration of the interplay between personal experiences and broader political and social issues in Cohen’s work, focusing on examples within Book of Longing.


  leonard cohen book of longing: Book of Longing Leonard Cohen, 2007-08-02 Book of Longing is Leonard Cohen's first book of new poetry since Book of Mercy was published two decades ago. It collects Cohen's poetry written between the 1980s and the present, and also includes his wonderfully witty and sensuous illustrations, including numerous playful self-portraits. The illustrations interact with, and complement, the poetry in unexpected and fascinating ways. Book of Longing demonstrates the range and depth of Cohen's work, revealing an extraordinary gift of language and visual art that speak with rare clarity, passion and timelessness.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Poems and Songs: Cohen Leonard Cohen, 2011-04-05 A magnificent selection of song lyrics and poems from across the storied career of one of the most daring and affecting poet-songwriters in the world. In the more than half century since his first book of poems was published, Leonard Cohen has evolved into an international cult figure who transcends genres and generations. This anthology contains a cross section of his five decades of influential work, including such legendary songs as “Suzanne,” “Sisters of Mercy,” “Bird on the Wire,” “Famous Blue Raincoat,” and “I’m Your Man” and searingly memorable poems from his many acclaimed poetry collections, including Flowers for Hitler, Beautiful Losers, and Death of a Lady’s Man. Encompassing the erotic and the melancholy, the mystical and the sardonic, this volume showcases a writer of dazzling intelligence and live-wire emotional immediacy.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Book of Longing Leonard Cohen, 2016-06-13 Book of Longing is Leonard Cohen's astonishing new collection of poems, the first since Book of Mercy was published nearly three decades ago. Leonard Cohen made his name as a poet before he came to worldwide attention as a singer and songwriter. Book of Longing, his new collection of poetry, was twenty years in the making and written in Montreal, Mumbai and during his retirement in Mt Baldy. Enhanced by Cohen's own playful and provocative illustrations, these poems show the full range of one of the most influential and enigmatic writers of his generation. 'Awe-inspiring. . . Cohen emerges as the wry, sensual mystic his champions have always known he was' Sunday Telegraph 'Exceptional. Clear yet steamy, cosmic yet private, both playful and profound. . . as soulful a credo as he has ever put on paper' New York Times 'Playful, colourful, erotic. . . brilliant and sharp as flint' Big Issue 'Dazzling' Sunday Herald 'The best bring an ironic, world-weary sensibility to bear on themes of ageing, sex, sensuality and spirituality' Financial Times 'A fine book of poems' Time Out 'Cohen maps this wasteland of the heart with humour, and sometimes anger' Independent Cohen's career began in 1956 with the publication of Let Us Compare Mythologies, and he has since published nine books of poems, and has made numerous internationally successful recordings. In a career spanning fifty years, Leonard Cohen has become one of the western world's most popular and innovative creative artists.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Dance Me to the End of Love Leonard Cohen, 2006-08-15 10 years ago, Welcome Books published the star of its Art & Poetry Series, Dance Me to the End of Love, a deliriously romantic song by Leonard Cohen that was brilliantly visualized through the sensual paintings of Henri Matisse. Now for its 10-year anniversary, Welcome is thrilled to present the entirely re-imagined and redesigned Dance Me to the End of Love. With the art of Matisse and the words of Cohen still at the heart of the book, the new look and feel of this Art & Poetry book is overwhelmingly beautiful. Cohen's song is a lyrical tribute to the miracle of love, the grace it bestows on us and its healing, restorative power. Originally recorded on his Various Positions album, and featured in Cohen's anthology, Stranger Music, this poetic song is gloriously married to the art works by Henri Matisse, perhaps the greatest artist of the twentieth century. I had this dance within me for a long time, Matisse once said in describing one of his murals. Dance Me to the End of Love is the perfect book for art lovers, song lovers, and all other lovers as well.
  leonard cohen book of longing: I'm Your Man Sylvie Simmons, 2012-10-23 The definitive biography of one of the most emigmatic, beloved, and celebrated artists of our time. Leonard Cohen's extensive and successful recent worldwide tour has demonstrated that his popularity across generations and borders has never been greater. Cohen's life is one of singular mystique. This major in-depth biography is the book Cohen's fans have been waiting for. Acclaimed writer/journalist Sylvie Simmons has interviewed more than 100 figures from Cohen's life and work, including his main muses; the women in his life -- from Suzanne and Marianne to Rebecca de Mornay and Anjani Thomas; artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, David Crosby, Judy Collins, and Philip Glass; his record producers; his closest friends, from childhood to adulthood; and many of the spiritual figures who have influenced his life. Cohen, notoriously private, has granted interviews himself. Thoroughly researched and thoughtful, penetrating and lively, fascinating and revealing of stories and facts never read before, I'm Your Man offers new perspectives on Cohen and his life. It will be one of the most talked-about books of the season, and for years to come.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Death of a Lady's Man Leonard Cohen, 2018-10-02 To mark the publication of Leonard Cohen's final book, The Flame, McClelland & Stewart is proud to reissue six beautiful editions of Cohen's cherished early works of poetry. A freshly packaged series for devoted Leonard Cohen fans and those who wish to discover one of the world's most adored and celebrated writers. Originally published by McClelland & Stewart in 1978, Death of a Lady's Man reinvented Cohen on the printed page, featuring a daring series of poems and prose poems, each of which is addressed—and often rebutted—in accompanying pieces of commentary. Maddening, thrilling, and truly singular, Cohen's sixth book contains some of the most challenging and startling work of his oeuvre. It is a genre-busting masterpiece well ahead of its time.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Beautiful Losers Leonard Cohen, 2011-01-26 One of the best-known experimental novels of the 1960s, Beautiful Losers is Leonard Cohen’ s most defiant and uninhibited work. As imagined by Cohen, hell is an apartment in Montreal, where a bereaved and lust-tormented narrator reconstructs his relations with the dead. In that hell two men and a woman twine impossibly and betray one another again and again. Memory blurs into blasphemous sexual fantasy--and redemption takes the form of an Iroquois saint and virgin who has been dead for 300 years but still has the power to save even the most degraded of her suitors. First published in 1966, Beautiful Losers demonstrates that its author is not only a superb songwriter but also a novelist of visionary power. Funny, harrowing, and fiercely moving, it is a classic erotic tragedy, incandescent in its prose and exhilarating for its risky union of sexuality and faith.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Favourite Game Leonard Cohen, 2011-11-16 In this unforgettable novel, Leonard Cohen boldly etches the youth and early manhood of Lawrence Breavman, only son of an old Jewish family in Montreal. Life for Breavman is made up of dazzling colour—a series of motion pictures fed through a high-speed projector: the half-understood death of his father; the adult games of love and war, with their infinite capacity for fantasy and cruelty; his secret experiments with hypnotism; the night-long adventures with Krantz, his beloved comrade and confidant. Later, achieving literary fame as a college student, Breavman does penance through manual labour, but ultimately flees to New York. And although he has loved the bodies of many women, it is only when he meets Shell, whom he awakens to her own beauty, that he discovers the totality of love and its demands, and comes to terms with the sacrifices he must make.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Book of Longing Limited Edition Leonard Cohen, 2017-10-17 A limited edition, one-time printing of Leonard Cohen’s best and most iconic book of poems “Book of Longing has exceptional range. It is clear yet steamy, cosmic yet private, both playful and profound.”--New York Times Leonard Cohen wrote the poems in Book of Longing—his first book of poetry in more than twenty years after 1984's Book of Mercy—during his five-year stay at a Zen monastery on Southern California's Mount Baldy, and in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Mumbai. This dazzling collection is enhanced by the author's playful and provocative drawings, which interact in exciting, unexpected ways on the page with poetry that is timeless, meditative, and often darkly humorous. An international sensation, Book of Longing contains all the elements that have brought Cohen's artistry with language worldwide recognition.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Spice-Box of Earth Leonard Cohen, 2018-10-02 To mark the publication of Leonard Cohen's final book, The Flame, McClelland & Stewart is proud to reissue six beautiful editions of Cohen's cherished early works of poetry. A freshly packaged series for devoted Leonard Cohen fans and those who wish to discover one of the world's most adored and celebrated writers. Originally published by McClelland & Stewart in 1961, The Spice-Box of Earth was Leonard Cohen's breakout book, announcing the arrival of a major talent, and a popular one—the first edition sold out in less than three months, and one reviewer hailed Cohen as probably the best young poet in English Canada right now. In his second collection, Cohen deepens his engagement with subjects that would define his career; as biographer Sylvie Simmons argues, the poems dance back and forth across the border between the holy and the worldly, the elevated and the carnal.
  leonard cohen book of longing: A Hall of Mirrors Robert Stone, 1997 Rheinhardt, a disk jockey and failed musician, rolls into New Orleans looking for work and another chance in life. What he finds is a woman physically and psychically damaged by the men in her past and a job that entangles him in a right-wing political movement. Peopled with civil rights activists, fanatical Christians, corrupt politicians, and demented Hollywood stars, A Hall of Mirrors vividly depicts the dark side of America that erupted in the sixties. To quote Wallace Stegner, Stone writes like a bird, like an angel, like a circus barker, like a con man, like someone so high on pot that he is scraping his shoes on the stars.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Energy of Slaves Leonard Cohen, 2018-10-02 To mark the publication of Leonard Cohen's final book, The Flame, McClelland & Stewart is proud to reissue six beautiful editions of Cohen's cherished early works of poetry. A freshly packaged series for devoted Leonard Cohen fans and those who wish to discover one of the world's most adored and celebrated writers. Originally published by McClelland & Stewart in 1972, The Energy of Slaves is Cohen's fifth collection, and one of his most controversial. A dark and intense book, described by one critic as deliberately ugly, offensive, bitter, anti-romantic, Cohen considered it a document of his struggle—I've just written a book called The Energy of Slaves, he told an interviewer at the time, and in there I say that I'm in pain. Bracing, challenging, and equally beautiful and off-putting, it remains one of his most compelling and complex works.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Parasites of Heaven Leonard Cohen, 2018-10-02 To mark the publication of Leonard Cohen's final book, The Flame, McClelland & Stewart is proud to reissue six beautiful editions of Cohen's cherished early works of poetry. A freshly packaged series for devoted Leonard Cohen fans and those who wish to discover one of the world's most adored and celebrated writers. Originally published by McClelland & Stewart in 1966, Parasites of Heaven came in the wake of the success of Cohen's second novel, Beautiful Losers. While not as ambitious as his three previous collections, Parasites of Heaven is an essential document in Cohen's evolution as it contains poems that would go on to form the basis of some of his most beloved songs, including Suzanne and Avalanche.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Various Positions Ira B. Nadel, 2010-10-29 Reissued with a new afterword Leonard Cohen is back! With a #1 bestselling poetry collection, The Book of Longing, flying off bookshelves; Lian Lunson’s acclaimed documentary, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, in theatres this summer (the DVD will release this fall); and the superb soundtrack in music stores everywhere, Leonard Cohen proves he is Canada’s most enduring icon. Now, in the newly reissued Various Positions, Ira Nadel peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Leonard Cohen’s life and his art. This book is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal. For nearly forty years, Leonard Cohen has endured the ups and downs of an international career that has alternately identified him as the Prince of Bummers and Canada's most respected poet and performer. Now, author Ira Nadel brings us closer to understanding these conflicting descriptions and allows us to enter Cohen's private world. He peels back the many layers to reveal the man and explain the fascinating relationship between Cohen's life and his art. This is a remarkable and rare look at Leonard Cohen, up close and personal.
  leonard cohen book of longing: How to Philosophize with a Hammer and Sickle Jonas Ceika, 2021-11-09 From the creator of the Cuck Philosophy YouTube channel comes this timely and explosive re-evaluation of Marx and Nietzsche for the 21st-century left. Modernity has been defined by humanity's capacity for self-destruction. Over the last century, the means which threaten not only life's joy but its very existence have only multiplied. At the same time, as a new wave of nationalism and right-wing politics spreads across the world, fewer and fewer people are being convinced that socialism could improve their everyday lives, let alone save us from our own destruction. In this timely and explosive book, philosopher and YouTuber Jonas Čeika (aka Cuck Philosophy) re-invigorates socialism for the twenty-first century. Leaving behind its past associations with bureaucracy and state tyranny, and it's lifeless and drab theoretical accounts, Čeika instead uses the works of Marx and Nietzsche to reconnect socialism with its human element, presenting it as something not only affecting, but created by living, breathing, suffering human individuals. At a time when ecological collapse is hurtling towards us, and capitalism offers no solution except more growth and exploitation, How to Philosophise with a Hammer and Sickle shows us the way forward to a socialism grounded in human experience and accessible to all.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Lyrics of Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen, Malka Marom, 2018-04-26
  leonard cohen book of longing: Let Us Compare Mythologies Leonard Cohen, 2019-10-03 First published in 1956 when he was twenty-two years old, Let Us Compare Mythologies is Leonard Cohen's first collection of poetry. It is an accomplished and passionate collection which demonstrates Cohen's remarkably assured voice, even as a young man. An unprecedented debut published to immediate acclaim, new generations of readers will now rediscover not only the early work of one of our most beloved writers, but poetry that resonates loudly with relevance today.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Bear Boy Cynthia Ozick, 2021-04-15 'Sparky, mischievous, witty, dazzlingly clever' Ali Smith 'A cause for celebration. Here we have a heroine to love, a story we can't let go of' Ann Patchett It had always been my habit-- privately I felt it to be an ecstasy-- to enter, as into a mysterious vault, any public library. 1930s New York is filling with Europe's ousted dreamers, turned overnight into refugees. Rose Meadows, book-loving and orphaned at eighteen, takes a job as assistant to the eccentric Professor Mitwisser. Cast out from Berlin's elite, the Mitwisser family's household is chaotic and Rosie's fate there hangs on the arrival of the Mitwissers' mysterious benefactor, James A'Bair. Inspired by the real Christopher Robin, James is the Bear Boy, the son of a famous children's author. Running from his own fame, James was boy adored by the world but has grown into a bitter man. It falls to Rosie to help them all resist James's reckless orbit.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Leonard Cohen Philippe Girard, 2021-11-09 A captivating, revealing biography of the legendary musician and poet Leonard Cohen opens in Los Angeles on the last night of the man’s life in 2016. Alone in his final hours, the beloved writer and musician ponders his existence in a series of flashbacks that reveal the ups and downs of a storied career. A young Cohen traded in the promise of steady employment in his family’s Montreal garment business for the unlikely path of a literary poet. His life took another sharp turn when, already in his thirties, he recorded his first album to widespread international acclaim. Along the way he encountered a who’s who of musical luminaries, including Lou Reed, Nico, Janis Joplin, and Joni Mitchell. And then there’s Phil Spector, the notorious music impresario who held a gun to Cohen’s head during a coke-fueled, all-night recording session. Later in Cohen’s life, there’s the story of Hallelujah, one of his most famous songs, and its slow rise from relative obscurity when first recorded in the 1980s to its iconic status a decade later with covers by John Cale and Jeff Buckley. And the period when Cohen went broke after his manager embezzled his lifetime savings, which ironically sparked an unlikely career resurgence and several worldwide tours in the 2000s. Written with careful attention to detail and drawn with a palette of warm, lush colors by the Quebec-based cartoonist Philippe Girard, Leonard Cohen is an engaging portrait of a cultural icon.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Dog Soldiers Robert Stone, 1997 Small-time journalist John Converse thinks to cash in on the last days of the Vietnam War by becoming involved in a major drug deal, but things go very wrong when he gets back to the U.S. and finds himself hunted by a corrupt government agent.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen Jeff Burger, 2014-04-01 Leonard Cohen, one of the most admired performers of the last half century, has had a stranger-than-fiction, roller-coaster ride of a life. Now, for the first time, he tells his story in his own words, via more than 50 interviews conducted worldwide between 1966 and 2012. In Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen—which includes a foreword by singer Suzanne Vega and eight pages of rarely seen photos—the artist talks about “Bird on the Wire,” “Hallelujah,” and his other classic songs. He candidly discusses his famous romances, his years in a Zen monastery, his ill-fated collaboration with producer Phil Spector, his long battle with depression, and much more. You'll find interviews that first appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone, but also material that has not previously been printed in English. A few have not been available until now in any format, including many illuminating reminiscences that contributors supplied specifically for this definitive anthology.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Flowers for Hitler Leonard Cohen, 2013-10-15 In Flowers for Hitler, Leonard Cohen’s third collection of poetry, Cohen first experiments with his self-consciously anti-art gestures: an attempt, in his own words, to move from the world of the golden-boy poet into the dung pile of the front-line writer. Haunted by the image of the Nazi concentration camps, the poems within are deliberately ugly, tasteless, and confrontational, setting out to destroy the image of Cohen as a sweet romantic poet. Instead, it celebrates the failed careers and destroyed minds of such beautiful losers as Alexander Trocchi, Kerensky, and even Queen Victoria. Cohen, in Flowers for Hitler, is an author auditioning himself for all the parts in an unwritten play, underlining the process of self-recovery and self-discovery that is at the center of these poems.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Beast and the Bethany Jack Meggitt-Phillips, 2021-12-14 Handsome Ebenezer Tweezer has lived comfortably for nearly 512 years by feeding the magical beast in his mansion's attic whatever it wants, but when the beast demands a child, they are not prepared for Bethany.--
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Penguin Book of English Song Richard Stokes, 2016-04-07 The Penguin Book of English Song anthologizes the work of 100 English poets who have inspired a host of different composers (some English, some not) to write vocal music. Each of the chapters, arranged chronologically from Chaucer to Auden, opens with a precis of the poet's life, work and, often, approach to music. Richard Stokes's notes and commentaries constantly illuminate the language and themes of the poems and their settings in unexpected ways. An awareness of how Ben Jonson based his famous poem 'Drinke to me, onely, with thine eyes' on a Greek original, for example, increases our enjoyment of both the poem and the traditional song; knowledge of Thomas Hardy's relationships with women deepens our appreciation of songs by Ireland, Finzi, Britten and others; Charles Dibdin's 'Tom Bowling', played each year at the Last Night of the Proms, takes on a deeper resonance when we know that it was written after the death of his brother Tom, a sea captain struck by lightning in the Indian Ocean. Many composers of different nationalities appear, but the book remains quintessentially British, and includes pieces that have an established place in our national consciousness: 'Rule, Britannia' (James Thomson), 'Abide with me' (Henry Francis Lyte), 'Auld lang syne' (Robert Burns), 'Jerusalem' (William Blake), 'Once in royal David's city' (Mrs C. F. Alexander), and even 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star' (Jane Taylor). The poems are printed in their original versification and spelling, enabling us to trace the development of the English language as the book progresses. The volume presents a huge amount of information about English Song that will enlighten all those who delight in the fusion of words and music. The presence of minor as well as major poets and the unique principle of selection make The Penguin Book of English Song a highly original anthology of English verse.
  leonard cohen book of longing: A Ballet of Lepers Leonard Cohen, 2022-10-11 Before ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Suzanne’ and ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’, the young Leonard Cohen was a gifted writer of prose. In this previously unpublished work, readers will discover the magic that animated Cohen’s unique voice was present from the very beginning. A Ballet of Lepers comprises Cohen’s first novel and short stories, written between 1956 in Montreal and 1961, when he had settled on the island of Hydra in Greece. The titular story follows a reclusive man whose life is invigorated when his grandfather comes to live with him. The book explores themes that would permeate Cohen’s later work, from shame and unworthiness to sexual desire and longing. Meditative, surprising and provocative, A Ballet of Lepers reveals the great artist like never before.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller Janet Cardiff, Ralf Beil, George Bures Miller, 2007 A concise retrospective, this publication contains previously unpublished written and visual material, as well as pertinent literature on the oeuvre of Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. SPECIALIST
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness Mark Solms, 2021-02-16 A revelatory new theory of consciousness that returns emotions to the center of mental life. For Mark Solms, one of the boldest thinkers in contemporary neuroscience, discovering how consciousness comes about has been a lifetime’s quest. Scientists consider it the hard problem because it seems an impossible task to understand why we feel a subjective sense of self and how it arises in the brain. Venturing into the elementary physics of life, Solms has now arrived at an astonishing answer. In The Hidden Spring, he brings forward his discovery in accessible language and graspable analogies. Solms is a frank and fearless guide on an extraordinary voyage from the dawn of neuropsychology and psychoanalysis to the cutting edge of contemporary neuroscience, adhering to the medically provable. But he goes beyond other neuroscientists by paying close attention to the subjective experiences of hundreds of neurological patients, many of whom he treated, whose uncanny conversations expose much about the brain’s obscure reaches. Most importantly, you will be able to recognize the workings of your own mind for what they really are, including every stray thought, pulse of emotion, and shift of attention. The Hidden Spring will profoundly alter your understanding of your own subjective experience.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Life of the Party Olivia Gatwood, 2019-08-20 A dazzling debut collection of raw and explosive poems about growing up in a sexist, sensationalized world, from a thrilling new feminist voice. i’m a good girl, bad girl, dream girl, sad girl girl next door sunbathing in the driveway i wanna be them all at once, i wanna be all the girls I’ve ever loved —from “Girl” Lauded for the power of her writing and having attracted an online fan base of millions for her extraordinary spoken-word performances, Olivia Gatwood now weaves together her own coming-of-age with an investigation into our culture’s romanticization of violence against women. At times blistering and riotous, at times soulful and exuberant, Life of the Party explores the boundary between what is real and what is imagined in a life saturated with fear. Gatwood asks, How does a girl grow into a woman in a world racked by violence? Where is the line between perpetrator and victim? In precise, searing language, she illustrates how what happens to our bodies can make us who we are. Praise for Life of the Party “Delicately devastating, this book will make us all ‘feel less alone in the dark.’ ”—Miel Bredouw, writer and comedian, Punch Up the Jam “Gatwood writes about the women who were forgotten and the men who got off too easy with an effortlessness and empathy and anger that yanked every emotion on the spectrum out of me. Imagine, we get to live in the age of Olivia Gatwood. Goddamn.”—Jamie Loftus, writer and comedian, Boss Whom Is Girl and The Bechdel Cast “I’ve read every poem in Life of the Party. I’ve read each of them more than once. In some parts of the book the spine is already breaking because I’ve spent so much time poring over it and losing hours in this world Olivia Gatwood has partly created, but partly just invited the reader to enter on their own, caution signs be damned. This book is enlightening, inspiring, igniting, and f***ing scary. I loved every word on every page with a ferocity that frightened me.”—Madeline Brewer, actress, The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange Is the New Black, and Cam
  leonard cohen book of longing: A Chip Shop in Poznań Ben Aitken, 2019-07-04 'One of the funniest books of the year' - Paul Ross, talkRADIO WARNING: CONTAINS AN UNLIKELY IMMIGRANT, AN UNSUNG COUNTRY, A BUMPY ROMANCE, SEVERAL SHATTERED PRECONCEPTIONS, TRACES OF INSIGHT, A DOZEN NUNS AND A REFERENDUM. Not many Brits move to Poland to work in a fish and chip shop. Fewer still come back wanting to be a Member of the European Parliament. In 2016 Ben Aitken moved to Poland while he still could. It wasn't love that took him but curiosity: he wanted to know what the Poles in the UK had left behind. He flew to a place he'd never heard of and then accepted a job in a chip shop on the minimum wage. When he wasn't peeling potatoes he was on the road scratching the country's surface: he milked cows with a Eurosceptic farmer; missed the bus to Auschwitz; spent Christmas with complete strangers and went to Gdansk to learn how communism got the chop. By the year's end he had a better sense of what the Poles had turned their backs on - southern mountains, northern beaches, dumplings! - and an uncanny ability to bone cod. This is a candid, funny and offbeat tale of a year as an unlikely immigrant.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Selected Poems 1956-1968 Leonard Cohen, 1968
  leonard cohen book of longing: After Nature W.G. Sebald, 2011-12-07 After Nature, W. G. Sebald’s first literary work, now translated into English by Michael Hamburger, explores the lives of three men connected by their restless questioning of humankind’s place in the natural world. From the efforts of each, “an order arises, in places beautiful and comforting, though more cruel, too, than the previous state of ignorance.” The first figure is the great German Re-naissance painter Matthias Grünewald. The second is the Enlightenment botanist-explorer Georg Steller, who accompanied Bering to the Arctic. The third is the author himself, who describes his wanderings among landscapes scarred by the wrecked certainties of previous ages. After Nature introduces many of the themes that W. G. Sebald explored in his subsequent books. A haunting vision of the waxing and waning tides of birth and devastation that lie behind and before us, it confirms the author’s position as one of the most profound and original writers of our time.
  leonard cohen book of longing: A Broken Hallelujah: Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen Liel Leibovitz, 2014-04-14 A look not only at the inner man but also at the environments that shaped Leonard Cohen, from the rock scene of New York in the 1960s to the remote Zen monastery where Cohen spent years later in life.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Leonard Cohen Harry Freedman, 2024-05-14 Leonard Cohen's music is studded with allusions to Jewish and Christian tradition, as well as Kabbalah and Zen. This book is about the ethos, origins, and traditions in Cohen's lyrics. He was as familiar with Christian traditions as he was Jewish. He is not concerned with confessional barriers, they simply impede access to the deep well of spiritual lore from which he draws. This is not a biography but a biographical narrative into the treatment of each song or theme, so that by the end the reader will in fact have a good understanding of Cohen's life story. Print run 25,000.--Provided by publisher.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Creative Types Tom Bissell, 2021-12-14 From the best-selling coauthor of The Disaster Artist and “one of America's best and most interesting writers (Stephen King), a new collection of stories that range from laugh-out-loud funny to disturbingly dark—unflinching portraits of women and men struggling to bridge the gap between art and life A young and ingratiating assistant to a movie star makes a blunder that puts his boss and a major studio at grave risk. A long-married couple hires an escort for a threesome in order to rejuvenate their relationship. An assistant at a prestigious literary journal reconnects with a middle school frenemy and finds that his carefully constructed world of refinement cannot protect him from his past. A Bush administration lawyer wakes up on an abandoned airplane, trapped in a nightmare of his own making. In these and other stories, Tom Bissell vividly renders the complex worlds of characters on the brink of artistic and personal crises—writers, video-game developers, actors, and other creative types who see things slightly differently from the rest of us. With its surreal, poignant, and sometimes squirm-inducing stories, Creative Types is a brilliant new offering from one the most versatile and talented writers working in America today.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Speak, Old Parrot Dannie Abse, 2013-04-04 2013 marks Dannie Abse's 90th birthday. In his lifetime he has published an astonishing array of work including poetry, fiction, criticism, plays and autobiography but it is as a poet that he is best known and loved. In Speak, Old Parrot he returns to themes of loss, love, medicine and its moral implications, the nature of creativity, Jewish folk tradition and the passing of time. The poems are observant of the outside world as well as the inner life and emotions but most of all they are a joy to read.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Matters of Vital Interest Eric Lerner, 2018-10-16 A memoir of the author's decades-long friendship and spiritual journey with the late singer, songwriter, novelist, and poet Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen passed away in late 2016, leaving behind many who cared for and admired him, but perhaps few knew him better than longtime friend Eric Lerner. Lerner, a screenwriter and novelist, first met Cohen at a Zen retreat forty years earlier. Their friendship helped guide each other through life's myriad obstacles, a journey told from a new perspective for the first time. Funny, revealing, self-aware, and deeply moving, Matters of Vital Interest is an insightful memoir about Lerner's relationship with his friend, whose idiosyncratic style and dignified life was deeply informed by his spiritual practices. Lerner invites readers to step into the room with them and listen in on a lifetime's ongoing dialogue, considerations of matters of vital interest, spiritual, mundane, and profane. In telling their story, Lerner depicts Leonard Cohen as a captivating persona, the likes of which we may never see again.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Light Inside the Dark John Tarrant, 1999-11-03 In this landmark guide to the spiritual journey, respected Zen teacher and psychotherapist John Tarrant brings together ancient Eastern traditions and the Western passion for the soul. Using real-life stories, Zen tales, and Greek myths, The Light Inside the Dark shows how our darkest experiences can be the gates to wisdom and joy. Tarrant leads us through the inevitable descents of our journey--from the everyday world of work and family into the treasure cave of the interior life--from which we return with greater love of life's vivid, common gifts. Written with empathy and a poet's skill, The Light Inside the Dark is the freshest and most challenging work on the soul to he published in years.
  leonard cohen book of longing: The Merry-go-round in the Sea Randolph Stow, 2008 This book is about childhood in Western Australia, and the effect of World War II on the community living there. It is semi-autobiographical.--Provided by publisher.
  leonard cohen book of longing: Collected Poems of Jack Gilbert Jack Gilbert, 2014-09-02 Gathered in this volume readers will find more than fifty years of poems by the incomparable Jack Gilbert, from his Yale Younger Poets prize-winning volume to glorious late poems, including a section of previously uncollected work. There is no one quite like Jack Gilbert in postwar American poetry. After garnering early acclaim with Views of Jeopardy (1962), he escaped to Europe and lived apart from the literary establishment, honing his uniquely fierce, declarative style, with its surprising abundance of feeling. He reappeared in our midst with Monolithos (1982) and then went underground again until The Great Fires (1994), which was eventually followed by Refusing Heaven (2005), a prizewinning volume of surpassing joy and sorrow, and the elegiac The Dance Most of All (2009). Whether his subject is his boyhood in working-class Pittsburgh, the women he has loved throughout his life, or the bittersweet losses we all face, Gilbert is by turns subtle and majestic: he steals up on the odd moment of grace; he rises to crescendos of emotion. At every turn, he illuminates the basic joys of everyday experience. Now, for the first time, we have all of Jack Gilbert’s work in one essential volume: testament to a stunning career and to his place at the forefront of poetic achievement in our time.
  leonard cohen book of longing: What the Birds See Sonya Hartnett, 2007-09-25 While the residents of his town concern themselves with the disappearance of three children, a lonely, rejected nine-year-old boy worries that he may inherit his mother's insanity. Reprint.