Book of Mercy [Paperback]

Leonard Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

Popular since its original publication more than 25 years ago, Leonard Cohen's classic book of contemporary psalms is now beautifully repackaged.
 
Internationally celebrated for his writing and his music, Leonard Cohen is revered as one of the great writers, performers, and most consistently daring artists of our time. Now beautifully repackaged, the poems in Book of Mercy brim with praise, despair, anger, doubt and trust. Speaking from the heart of the modern world, yet in tones that resonate with an older devotional tradition, these verses give voice to our deepest, most powerful intuitions.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An eloquent victory of the human spirit in combat with itself."
— Globe and Mail 

"One of the most honest and courageous attempts in Canadian writing to grapple with ultimate truth."
— Books in Canada

About the Author

LEONARD COHEN's artistic career began with the publication of Let Us Compare Mythologies. Since then, he has published twelve books, including two novels, The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers, and, most recently, Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs and the #1 national bestseller Book of Longing. He has made eighteen albums, the latest being Live in London. Numerous tribute albums, in many languages, have celebrated his songs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771021879
• ISBN-13: 978-0771021879
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.3 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,307 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Canadian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cohen Connects With His Spiritual Heritage, August 23, 1999

By 

Mark Sisson (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Book of Mercy (Paperback)

Leonard Cohen, always the great poet, has done a masterful job of expressing the spirit of the Psalms in modern prosaic, poetic form. And like the son of the chief psalmist, Cohen has traveled a road that has taken him through many life experiences, only to come through them to arrive at the knowledge of that which truly matters. Book of Mercy is not only a literary gem, but a book of enlightening and thought provoking inspiration for Jew and Christian alike, not to mention that person we often refer to as a seeker.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Language and thought out of the ordinary, September 29, 2007

By 

Rainer Neumann (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Book of Mercy (Paperback)

Because I had bought and read his latest book I decided to buy an old one. Since his songs are poems set to music this book is prose brought to the level of poetry. Short thoughts on his relationship to a higher being or muse or idea. Thought provoking. A pleasure just to read. The man has spent his life finding the right words and metaphoric language for his deep thoughts on love and meaning and life. Thank you, Leonard

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Psalms, Updated, May 27, 2002

By 

Daniel R. Duncan (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Book of Mercy (Paperback)

Perhaps Leonard Cohen has never been a King, as was David, but the passion of his reflections truly invites comparison.

Cohen struggles with G-d, in the finest tradition of Judaism-- indeed, of all spiritual combat. So he both speaks to G-d, and he listens. His listening compels me to listen with my own feeble ears.

This is a book for all spiritual combatants, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. Or any faith that is "of the book."