Book description
The genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, Bird on the
Wire and Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most
important and influential songwriters of our time, a man of
spirituality, emotion, and intelligence whose work has explored the
definitive issues of human life - sex, religion, power, meaning, love.
Yet before he even began recording, Cohen was an accomplished
literary figure whose poetry and novels brought him considerable
recognition. His dual careers in music and literature have transformed
one another, his songs revealing a literary quality rare in the world
of popular music, and his poetry and prose informed by a rich musicality.
I'm Your Man explores the facets of Cohen's life - from his
early childhood in Montreal, to his entrée into the worlds of
literature and music, his immersion in Jewish culture, obsession with
Christian imagery, and deep commitment to Buddhist detachment -
including the five years he spent at a monastery outside of Los
Angeles and his ordainment as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist Monk.
Sylvie Simmons draws on Cohen's private archives and a wealth of
interviews with many of his closest associates, colleagues, and other
artists whose work he has inspired, as well as professors, Buddhist
monks and rabbis, to share stories and details never before revealed,
and correct mistakes propounded in previous works. Unlike other
biographies, I'm Your Man gives equal time to Cohen's poetry
and prose and balances his intellectual and religious sides. The
result is this deeply insightful, well-rounded portrait of an artist
whose reach, vision, and incredible talent has had a profound impact
on multiple generations and who continues to create magic today.
Cohen gets the music biography he truly deserves (5 stars) Mojo
Sylvie Simmons is a renowned music journalist and award-winning writer.
A Londoner, she moved to LA in the late seventies where she began
writing about rock music for
Sounds
,
Creem
and
Kerrang!
, then
Rolling Stone
, the
Guardian
and
MOJO
. She is the author of fiction and non-fiction books, including the
acclaimed
Serge Gainsbourg: A Fistful of Gitanes
,
Neil Young: Reflections in Broken Glass
and the short story collection
Too Weird for Ziggy
. She currently lives in San Francisco, where she plays ukulele and
still writes for
MOJO
.
