This is a collection of poetry and prose, interspersed with lyrics, discursive passages and diary extracts from the legendary Canadian songwriter-poet. First published in 1978, the book's theme is love with all its dilemmas, and it is largely autobiographical in tone, offering the reader insights into Cohen's world and his writing. From the 1950s and '60s onward, Cohen's mournful, thought-provoking lyrics and poems have formed the backdrop to the musings of generations; this reissue, following on the huge success of his 2009 concerts, extends the experience to yet more new readers.

Author Biography

Born in 1934 in Canada, Leonard Cohen published his first book of poetry in 1956, followed by nine others over the years. He turned to music in the 1960s, creating numerous albums and earning a classification by Lou Reed as of the "highest and most influential echelon of songwriters". His life has been dedicated to writing and the inner life in one form or another, including two periods of intense and prolonged seclusion, one on the Greek island of Hydra and the other in a Zen Buddhist monastery in California.