Leonard Cohen: A Life in Art [Paperback]

Ira Nadel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

Profiling Canada's leading poet-singer, this concise biography surveys the remarkable 40-year career of Leonard Cohen that has produced 11 books and 11 records. Focusing on the evolution of Cohen's international reputation, the book begins with a review of the Montreal years. The popularity of works like The Spice Box of Earth and Beautiful Losers is examined in detail. Cohen's musical career receives special attention, from his first studio session to his latest record. The biography concludes with a discussion of Stranger Music.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A concise biography of Canada's leading poet-singer, Leonard Cohen: A Life in Art surveys a remarkable forty-year career that has produced eleven books and eleven records. -- From the Publisher

About the Author

Ira Nadel is a professor of English at the University of British Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550222104
• ISBN-13: 978-1550222104
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,858,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Cohen, Leonard

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insights into Cohen's early years, May 3, 2009

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leonard Cohen a Life In Art (Hardcover)

I am officially going through another Leonard Cohen phase (more on that later) and in looking for some books to read for a recent trip involving long flights, I came upon this little book.

In "Leonard Cohen: A Life in Art" (160 pages; originally published in 1995), author Ira Nadel brings a short biography of Leonard Cohen. Keep in mind that the book was written mostly in 1994, just as Cohen had turned 60 and had then-recently scored a sizable commercial hit with his 1992 album "The Future". Let me state upfront that this is not your ordinary biography. It reads more like an academic dissertation, with multiple sidebars into the art (songs, poetry, and other) of Cohen. As is often the case, the most fascinating part are the early years. In fact, the book is divided almost to the page half in half between Cohen's life up to 1967 (release of his first album) and his life afterwards. The son of well-to-do Jewish immigrants in Montreal, Cohen defied his parents' expectations and after attending undergraduate at McGill and graduate at Columbia, decided to make a go of it as a poet. Becoming restless, Cohen visits London and then Greece, where he would continue to spend significant amounts of time for decades to come. The book does a tremendous job in putting matters into context, both from an artistic perspective, as well as a more personal one. The second half of the book is far less interesting, in particular as the years go on, as too many times it becomes a repetition of describing life on the road, tour after tour. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book for the insights provided in the first half of it.

I saw Leonard Cohen recently live in concert for the first time, at the Coachella music festival, and what a delight that was. A thrilling set from start to finish. As a fan of Cohen for a long, long time, it was a dream come true to finally see him perform. It caused me to revisit some of his earlier albums, including the excellent 1979 live album "Field Commander Cohen", and of course also the just-released CD/DVD "Leonard Cohen Live in London".