 ...in the threaded spine of my Longing Book... (from early version of "The Book of Longing") Reviews & Articles 28) Being There Magazine, #19, July/August 2006 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The book of Longing by Leonard Cohen Ecco Reviewed by Ellen Rosner Feig Leonard Cohen has been hailed a genius, a renaissance man, a man who can coexist between the worlds of music, literature and art. In his newly released collection of poetry and line drawings, The Book of Longing, Cohen serves to provoke thought and emotion. Written over a period of twenty years in countries across the globe [Mumbai, Canada and America], Cohen's lyrical prowess and sheer brilliance shines within the pages of the book. Beginning with the title poem “The Book of Longing,” the artist relates the pain of unrequited desire – “my heart will be hers impersonally,” “I know she is coming, I know she will look, and that is the longing and this is the book.” The line drawings which accompany the prose are heavily influenced by Japanese ideograms and calligraphy. Cohen's works, especially poems such as “His Master's Voice” and “Roshi at 89” deal with the issues of death, the contemplation of the hereafter and the stupidity of regrets. Known throughout his life as a man of complexity, Cohen's poems are amazingly simplistic in their rhyming and language. A man whose life has been speculated on, who has lived shrouded in gossip and mystery; this is the man who we want exposed. At times we feel we have entered his world, at times he abruptly shuts the door in our face. In the poem “S.O.S. 1995” Cohen directly confronts his frustration at the gossipmongers – “The atrocities over there, the interior paralysis over here – Pleased with the better deal?” Until the spring of 1999, Cohen lived as a Zen Buddhist monk Jikan at the Zen Center on Mt. Baldy in California. Many of the works in the book come from that period of isolation including “The Lovesick Monk” which directly relates his misery while at the center (the poem specifically refers to 1997). Since coming down from the mountaintop Cohen's life and work has been the focus of a documentary, directed by Liam Lunson, which showcased at the LA Film Festival in June of this year. As of recently Cohen has been working with his protégé, singer Anjani Thomas, whose album Blue Alert was released to critical acclaim this year. The Book of Longing ends with the 1973 poem “The Flood” in which Cohen writes, The flood it is gathering Soon it will move Across every valley Against every roof The body will break down And the soul will break loose I write all this down But I don't have the proof. With his prose, artwork and music, Leonard Cohen's flood has covered every valley and rooftop. Retrieved from www.beingtheremag.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to Reviews & Articles. Welcome | Index | Works by Leonard Cohen | Reviews & Articles | Index of Titles / drawings, first lines & online poems | e-card | Credits & Thanks |
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