Book of Longing
by Leonard Cohen
published
March 27th 2007
(first published 2006)
by McClelland & Stewart
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binding
Paperback, 240 pages
isbn
0771022298
(isbn13: 9780771022296)
description
Leonard Cohen is one of the great writers, performers, and most consistently daring artists of our time. Book of Longing is Cohen’s eagerly a...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 460)
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Poets,lovers,seekers,mystics.
This book. This beautiful, beautiful book. Damn, I’m glad I picked this up. I’ve never read such a wonderful combination of sensual reverie, raw but fading lust and something damn close to Zen enlightenment. Cohen is a good, perhaps great poet, but he was also a practicing Zen monk when he wrote these poems as well as a long standing pilgrim in the holiness of the body. For every poem extolling the benefits of Zazen and mindfulness you’ll read another of fruitful and unalloyed appreciation...more
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6 comments
Read in October, 2008
I'm not a huge fan of poetry, and I find most of it pretty alienating and annoying, but Cohen has such a lovely tone, and doesn't seek to be "clever" by being obtuse. Which means his poetry actually says something to me (and makes sense: I can understand what he's saying, or relate to it, or interpret it), which makes it something worth treasuring :)
Also, I love his drawings and sketches!
Also, I love his drawings and sketches!
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This has got to be a book I HAVE to own.
Because poetry is so sweet and deep (not to say this particular author is; just in general) that you need to take time and care with it in order to absorb in it's right content. Poetry books are not to be read in one sitting. They are to be lapped at like a dog licking a puddle. Like a child sucking a lollipop. It's not as enjoyable, otherwise.
I like what I've read so far. He's much more simple in his wording that most poets I know of, but t...more
Because poetry is so sweet and deep (not to say this particular author is; just in general) that you need to take time and care with it in order to absorb in it's right content. Poetry books are not to be read in one sitting. They are to be lapped at like a dog licking a puddle. Like a child sucking a lollipop. It's not as enjoyable, otherwise.
I like what I've read so far. He's much more simple in his wording that most poets I know of, but t...more
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Read in February, 2008
Favorite Poems
The Book of Longing
I can't make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d
I followed the course
From chaos to art
Desire the horse
Depression the cart
I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughing stock
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night pencilled in
My animal howls
My angel's upset
But I'm not allowed
A trace of regret
For someone will use...more
The Book of Longing
I can't make the hills
The system is shot
I'm living on pills
For which I thank G-d
I followed the course
From chaos to art
Desire the horse
Depression the cart
I sailed like a swan
I sank like a rock
But time is long gone
Past my laughing stock
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night pencilled in
My animal howls
My angel's upset
But I'm not allowed
A trace of regret
For someone will use...more
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Read in August, 2008
I put off the reading of this book for a long time. I did because I had glanced over it in the book store and felt clearly that the man who wrote so many of the poems I loved had given into his bitterness, and feelings of age induced obsolescence. To evolve into it would have brought a more complete ending to the arc of his poetical view of life. I would have loved that book.
rather, the beautiful world cohen created for us where girls with flowing manes and filigree earrings getting into lo...more
rather, the beautiful world cohen created for us where girls with flowing manes and filigree earrings getting into lo...more
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I bought this two years ago to read to a boyfriend who didn't want to be read to. We broke up soon after. I'm still picking it up from time to time.
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Read in July, 2008
I bought this book some time ago and fell in love with a stanza from the title poem:
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night penciled in
I happened back upon the book after watching Lian Lunsen's documentary Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man. It helped situate a lot of interesting names, and I would have never appreciated some of the prose poems, such as "A note to the Chinese reader' without having heard him discuss it and read it.
My page was too white
My ink was too thin
The day wouldn't write
What the night penciled in
I happened back upon the book after watching Lian Lunsen's documentary Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man. It helped situate a lot of interesting names, and I would have never appreciated some of the prose poems, such as "A note to the Chinese reader' without having heard him discuss it and read it.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Cohen fans and people who like good romantic poetry
This is a book of Leonard Cohen's poetry. It includes many of the lyrics from his last two albums ("Ten New Songs" and "Dear Heather")and is illustrated by the artist--mostly a lot of self portraits and caricatures and naked women and birds and mandalas--all just original and unretouched sketches. This is a great book for Cohen fans, as it can be read at any page, over and over again. I also highly recommend the aforementioned last two albums.
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Read in September, 2008
Not bad. I like the little self-portraits and other drawings, which along with the poems illustrate variations on the same few recurring themes. Cohen has a way with words and rhyme, but reading this book all at once was a little monotonous, mainly because so many of his poems and songs are very similar in structure and metre.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.00 (296 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.03 (234 ratings) number of reviews: 46
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quote
"How bitter were
the Prozac pills
of the last
few hundred mornings"
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