Poems and Songs: Cohen (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series)

This book is absolutely phenomenal! Every poem by Cohen is masterfully curated in a perfectly sized edition that makes it a joy to hold and read. I can't get enough of it—I'm truly in love with this collection!

If you're a Leonard Cohen fan then this book is a very comprehensive collection of his song lyrics and poetry. It's great because it fits in a carry-on or coat pocket to enjoy most anywhere. Leonard Cohen's poetry and lyrics are, for the uninitiated, very realistic and 'mature' compared to youthful crooning love songs or poems that cause one to dream in doodle bubble hearts. Leonard Cohen's poems make you feel that you've been punched in the solar plexus and can't catch your breath, yet, if you are not a love-struck child and you have loved and lost, or longed for someone you can't reach or have been down on your luck, you will know exactly what he's talking about! He wrote the lyrics to 'Hallelujah', which has been extensively covered, however, I do recommend you look it up and listen to Mr. Cohen sing it if you haven't before. The collection itself is very complete for a small book and feels very readable, with a build-in bookmark and classy color theme so you look the part as you read. You can almost hear his impossibly deep, slow voice as you read this collection. I don't know if his work is for everyone, but like most aesthetics, he has a 'certain something' that will draw you in. He makes you feel hopeless and understood, isolated yet with at least one companion who knows and has seen more than you ever could. Previously I had heard his more popular songs, but his poetry is visceral, with a slow, deep pulse.

1° English is not my first language, and it was a real good thing for me to read some poems/words of songs of L. Cohen. Listening to songs and sometimes getting emotional with the music, the rhymes, the atmosphere often rends it difficult to appreciate all the poetry and sense. This book gave me a wonderful occasion to go deeper in Cohen's work. And is it worth of it ! 2° this book gave me the chance to discover "Everyman's Library Pocket Poets", that is a very good selection : it's not texts assembled by chance : it follows a directing line of the poet's word. Very intelligent and pedagogic way to present texts like small nice round pebbles to follow. 3° I think that younger people could benefit of this kind of book, of this kind of song, of the thoughts of this poet. I have too often a hard time with today's repetition of idiotic words accompanied by deafening noise (that cannot really be called music ... Sorry kids, you miss something !

Great companion to tag along on a trip to the coffee shop or reading on the park bench. A must have for an LC aficionado.

What a wonderful book!. Even the paper it is printed on is high-quality, feels so silky. Leonard Cohen’s poems are somewhat obtuse for me, but the listing of all the lyrics for his. songs is marvelous, including an index by first lines. And as a sweet extra touch it comes with a an attached black ribbon book mark reminiscent of the ones that used to come in the old Catholic missals. Truly a superb edition..

I've read the book and felt I was given a better insight into the man and the poet. His view of the world was wonderfully reduced to words for the common man. He romanced life, for sure. I've found myself going back and rereading some poems, acquiring new meaning the second and third go around. Some I do not understand, but others . . . the raw meanings are incredible.

The poems are deep and largely dark. But they are beautifully written and cause one to think. They also tell a moment in time into the mind of an extremely impactful writer and songwriter. I'm glad Lenard Cohen wrote music for some of his poems. It brought them to life for so many more people. In this book the poem Hallelujah is my favorite. But I discovered many more I never knew existed.

I have been a fan of Leonard Cohen for 50+ years and have all his CDs as well as books about him. The beauty of this collection is its small size. It is incredibly handy! It fits comfortably in a pocket of my cargo pants. I love it!

Really nicely presented Everyman edition. I only came to a proper appreciation of Leonard late on in his life. In the 60s I went along with the "Conman" tag he was given by the super cool, this being based largely on his inability to sing or play. Turns out that didn't really matter (as is often the case in popular music - it never stopped George Harrison, for instance). LC had great ideas & signed up quality supporting musicians & singers to create a great sound. And, I happen to like his voice. What I have always neglected, tho, is his early poetry. This book is a terrific collection of that . In typical Cohen style, of course, he said himself he only became a poet in order to meet girls, then shifted to rock star mode to meet more girls ! He soon followed Marianne in 2016 and is much missed. I'd say to all LC fans: get this book, share & enjoy.

Vous qui adorez Leonard Cohen, jetez vous sur ce petit ouvrage sensationnel. Vous y trouverez une sélection de ses meilleurs textes : des chansons inoubliables (“Suzanne,” “I’m Your Man”, "First we take Manhattan") a et aussi des poèmes. La lecture procure un plaisir renouvelé. Le livre est en outre petit et maniable, vous pourrez l'emporter facilement avec vous.

Una edición cuidada y preciosa del libro, además en un tamaño reducido, ideal para llevarlo siempre contigo. Fantástica la selección. Genial para iniciarte con Cohen.

Sehr informative Lyrik. Rascher Versand

Questo libretto, che penso parecchio noto in America del Nord, in Inghilterra e in altri paesi scandinavi, mi è piaciuto molto. Ho incontrato i primi dischi di canzoni di L. Cohen quando, giovane studentessa, ero negli Stati Uniti. Li ho persi quando ho saputo che l’autore si era ritirato in un monastero buddista zen. Purtroppo ho ritrovato solo ora Cohen e i suoi dischi più recenti. Il piccolo libro è una raccolta scelta di sue poesie e sue canzoni (non tutte, ovviamente) fino ad alcuni brani di “Old Ideas”: belle entrambe. Sta in tasca, ha pagine sottili, è facile rintracciare un brano o dall’indice iniziale o dal primo verso. Un amico mi ha chiesto cosa contraddistingue le liriche o le canzoni di L. Cohen da altre, così da diventare un oggetto “cult”: forse la semplicità unita alla concisione; l’affrontare temi del singolo individuo, ma generali; certamente l’aura poetica della sua musica e delle sue parole; l’ironia non è mai assente. Spero che possa essere completato con gli ultimi brani: certamente in questo caso lo ricomprerò.