Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius

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WiTS
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Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius

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Leonard Cohen : The Mystical Roots of Genius
By Harry Freedman

https://www.harryfreedmanbooks.com/blog/book/book-2/

Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius
I loved writing this book. It explores the religious folklore, spiritual ideas and mystical concepts that run all the way through Leonard Cohen’s music. Cohen was deeply learned in both Judaism and Christianity; they helped shape his self-identity and the way he made sense of the world. His songs are packed with references to the Bible, Talmud and Kabbalah, references which he interpreted in his own unique style, to deliver messages and ideas often far removed from their original context.

Anyone who has listened carefully to Leonard Cohen’s music will know that songs like Hallelujah, Story of Isaac and By the Rivers Dark are based on biblical narratives. But Leonard Cohen’s music contains many more songs based on ancient lore. The Window is packed with kabbalistic insights, Who by Fire is based on both an ancient mystical text and a synagogue prayer, and You Want it Darker is one of the most powerful challenges ever written to the God whose presence Leonard Cohen was always aware of, whose purpose baffled him and whose world he struggled to come to terms with.

In Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius I explore twenty songs rooted in ancient biblical or kabalistic sources. I explain the sources he drew upon, discuss their original context and the stories and ideas behind them, and show how Leonard Cohen has harnessed them for his own purposes. The book is not a biography, though it contains biographical information. I hope that it will offer an insight into the soul and imagination of one of the greatest singers and lyricists of our time.

Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius will be published by Bloomsbury Continuum on 28 October 2021.
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