Book of Longing Reviewed in Loch Raven Review Spring Issue

Everything about Leonard's 2006 book of poetry and Anjani's album
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Christopher T. George
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Book of Longing Reviewed in Loch Raven Review Spring Issue

Post by Christopher T. George »

Hello everyone

I am one of the editors of the on-line and print journal Loch Raven Review. We are now finalizing the contents of the Spring issue which should be ready to read in the next couple of weeks. I thought you might like to know that my Co-editor, Jim Doss, has reviewed Leonard's The Book of Longing for the upcoming issue so expect to read it in our pages shortly. Meanwhile, check out our Winter issue which is on-line at the moment or our back issues. If you are a writer, we are looking for quality work and the next deadline is May 31 for the Summer issue.

Best regards

Chris George
Co-Editor
Loch Raven Review
Last edited by Christopher T. George on Sun Mar 25, 2007 5:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sherry
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Post by Sherry »

Thanks for the info Chris, I look forward to checking out your website. I will also pass on your message to the Writer's Workshop I go to. There are some very talented writers there.

Sherry
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Christopher T. George
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Post by Christopher T. George »

Hi everyone

Jim Doss and I are proud to announce that the Spring issue of Loch Raven Review is now live at http://www.lochravenreview.net/. The issue contains the review of Leonard's The Book of Longing written by Jim Doss. Go to http://www.lochravenreview.net/2007Spring/doss.html. Feedback welcome.

This issue features poetry by Penny August, Sandy Sue Benitez, Jason Biederman, Gary Blankenship, Bob Bradshaw, Jared Carter, Jim Corner, Susan Culver, Adam Elgar, Allen Itz, Thomas Jardine, Charles Levenstein, Sabyasachi Nag, Michael North, David Nourse, Stuart Nunn, Kathy Paupore, Kenneth Pobo, Don Schaeffer, S. Thomas Summers, Ron Wallace, Marceline White, Wiltshire; interview with Charles Levenstein by Christopher T. George; translations of Hugo Ball by Jim Doss; an essay by Gary Blankenship; fiction by Charles Levenstein and Oliver Murray; and reviews by Jim Doss, Christopher T. George and Deborah P. Kolodji.

The next issue will be our Summer issue, the deadline for which is May 31. Check out our contributors guidelines at http://www.lochravenreview.net/guidelines.html.

All the best

Chris
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tomsakic
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Post by tomsakic »

Hi Chris,
I supposed it's OK to repost this review on http://www.bookoflonging.com? All other reviews and articles are up there.
Regards,
Tom


(PS. I don't agree about hurry - the book was first announced in 1999, then 2001, so its final draft was at least 5 years in making. The photo is blurry by purpose.)
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blonde madonna
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Book of Longing Review

Post by blonde madonna »

Thank you for the post.
It was so interesting to read this perspective on the book.
I have read a review elsewhere that complained about the rough chopped pages of the book as if this was a cheap way of publishing and I thought- don't they know that this retro look is way cool now?
With this review I would like to say that I see the notebook style presentation as deliberate (the front cover makes that obvious I think) and it influences the way we perceive what is contained within the covers.
the art of longing’s over and it’s never coming back

1980 -- Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1985 -- State Theatre, Melbourne
2008 -- Hamilton, Toronto, Cardiff
2009 -- Rochford Winery, Yarra Valley
2010 -- Melbourne
2013 -- Melbourne, The Hill Winery, Geelong, Auckland
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Post by tomsakic »

US edition (Ecco / HarperCollins) has been printed as "rough cut" edition, like handy cut pages in old fashioned books. It was done deliberately and I prefer that edition to the original Canadian and to the UK edition, as I think it goes very nice with general idea of book which is actually some kind of poet's notebook.
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Post by Christopher T. George »

Tom Sakic wrote:Hi Chris,
I supposed it's OK to repost this review on http://www.bookoflonging.com? All other reviews and articles are up there.
Regards,
Tom


(PS. I don't agree about hurry - the book was first announced in 1999, then 2001, so its final draft was at least 5 years in making. The photo is blurry by purpose.)
Hi Tom & blonde madonna

Sure, Tom, you may copy the information about our review of Leonard's book on http://www.bookoflonging.com. We will be pleased to have our review listed with the other reviews and articles you have there.

The book may have been some five years in the making although Jim Doss's opinion of the seemingly rushed aspect is about the appearance of the book, and I think the quality of the works, which he finds mixed. The "notebook" idea of the collection is conveyed by the ruled background to the illustration on the front, as you say, blonde madonna.

Possibly Leonard's prime focus on being a musician or monk might have had an affect on the type of book that it is... as if they are notes made by a musician/monk who sometimes thinks of himself as a poet? I mean, if he primarily was a poet and thought of himself as one, perhaps the book would have been very different. Still, it's great to have another piece of Leonard's oeuvre even if we poets find it somewhat unsatisfying.

All my best

Chris
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Post by tomsakic »

Hi Chris, I think you're certainly right that LC started to regard himself first as the singer-songwriter over the years (hence the growing years between the publications). I'd agree on that with you, this book is too big for the standard book of poetry, and if he kept his self-image as the poet first, he'd publish 3 or 4 smaller books (let's say 50 poems each) over all these years. BoL certainly has few poetry books of usual size inside itself. There are 70s poems and left-outs, then 80s, then Hydra poems, then concise book written on Mt Baldy (According to 1997 edition of Nadel's biography, it was titled "The Collapse of Zen", and it was planned as the addition to book of selected unpublished manuscripts and poetry titled "The Book of Longing".) BoL as it's now is maybe too big and seems like collection of poems and other stuff from famous singer-songwriter-cum-poet more than new book of poetry. (It's 167 poems!) But LC chose his own way over the years. After Book of Mercy, which was excellent book with its own conception (as the previous one, Death of a Lady's Man; both my favourites from Leonard), if I was his friend or editor, I'd make him to publish somehting like New Poems, or Verses from Hydra, with all the poems written in France and on Hydra and Montreal in 1980s (= Uncollected Poems from Stranger Music + many from BoL), and then another standard poetry book, conceptually attached only to the monastery years (The Collapse of Zen; which are now scattered all over the BoL, plus TNS's songs). He would have continuity as the poet and regular appearance. I guess that he writes so much and on daily basis that every 5-6 years you can collect standard (and good!) book. That's only my view of it all. I don't know when or will there be another book, particularly with size and concept of BoL, but already now, or in 2-3 years, with new poems and songs, plus daily notebooks entries, LC will have material for book of poetry of standard size, but I don't know does that interest him. He after all choses his way to do things.
Diane

Post by Diane »

Jim Doss said:
Cohen’s fans, who make up a cult-like following
I always knew there was something a bit odd about us; never could put my finger on it until now.
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