Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist
His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not begin a music career until 1967 at the age of 33.
Last night, my phone kept on buzzing to tell me that Leonard Cohen died. I was not a good friend of Leonard’s and I don’t even remember where I met him, but it was either at some event arranged by Louis Dudek or Irving Layton. I was a student at McGill University at the time and writing some of the poetry that was published in my book, At the Foot of Sinai. I think it was Louis who wanted me to meet Leonard, whose poems were published as Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), the first book in the McGill Poetry Series.
My book was published as the first book in the Hillel Poetry Series. Leonard was an excellent poet but was disappointed that he could never meet expenses, living as a poet, even after the success of the Spice-Box of Earth (1961), and his novel, The Favorite Game (1963). He was to move to the United States to become a folk singer-songwriter. That was a much more lucrative career.
I followed his career and loved his successes and was even (mistakenly, I believe) introduced to some of his fans in the UK as a friend of Leonard Cohen’s. I loved his songs and imagined myself as another “bird on a wire, a drunk in a midnight choir.”
As it was written, “We have lost one of music's most revered and prolific visionaries.” We have also lost a great poet and inspiration. And we wish only good to his family, his friends and fans. May they remember him for good and may his poems and songs live forever.
Baruch Dayan Haemet
8-11-2016 by George Farkas
interesting