Leonard Norman Cohen was born in Montreal in 1934 (on September 21). His father, an engineer who owned a clothing concern, died when Leonard was nine. He went on to attend McGill University, where at 17, he formed a country-western trio called the Buckskin Boys.
He also began writing poetry and became part of the local boho- literary scene, a scene so "underground" that it was bereft of "subversive intentions because even that would be beneath it." "His first collection of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies, was published in 1956, while he was still an undergraduate. The Spice Box of Earth (1961), his second collection, catapulted Leonard Cohen to international recognition.
After a brief stint at Columbia University in New York, Leonard Cohen obtained a grant and was able to escape the confines of North America. He travelled throughout Europe and eventually settled on the Greek island of Hydra, where he shared his life with Marianne Jensen, and her son Axel.
Cohen stayed in Greece on and off for seven years. He wrote another collection of poetry, the controversial Flowers For Hitler (1964); and two highly acclaimed novels, The Favorite Game (1963), his portrait of the artist as a young Jew in Montreal, and Beautiful Losers (1966), described on its dust jacket as "a disagreeable religious epic of incomparable beauty." Upon its publication, the Boston Globe declared, "James loyce is not dead. He is living in Montreal under the name of Cohen." To date, each book has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide.
But Cohen's restless spirit couldn't be contained even by warmth of Hydra. "For the writing of books, you have to be in one place," he told Musician magazine in 1988. "You tend to gather around you when you write a novel. You need a woman in your life. It's nice to have some kids around, 'cause there's always food. It's nice to have a place that's clean and orderly. I had those things and then I decided to be a songwriter."
Leaving behind his domestic scene, Cohen returned to America, intent on settling near Nashville and pursuing a musical career. was championed by Judy Collins, who recorded both "Suzanne" "Dress Rehearsal Rag" on her 1966 album, In My Life. In 1967, Cohen appeared at the Newport Folk Festival where he came to attention of legendary Columbia A&R man John Hammond (who also recruited Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to the label). By Christmas, Columbia had released his first album, The Songs of Leonard Cohen.
It was a remarkable debut, as songs like i'Suzanne," "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye," "So Long, Marianne," and "Sisters of Mercy" propelled Cohen to the top of the pop-confessional pantheon. The songs had such power that Robert Altman's 1971 film, McCabe and Mrs. Miller became, in effect, the first long-form video for Cohen's soundtrack.
Topic: Snapshots from Canada (Read 6839 times)