A new portrait by Leonard

[jarkko]

Leonard sent us today a new portrait he finished last week. It's title is "Portrait of the Novelist Eric Lerner".
More at http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/lerner.html
Also click on the link under the portrait to get to Lerner's website. Then use arrows starting from his front page!

[HelenOE]

That is really nice. Just last night I was reading a review of one of LC's books that called him something like a "glorified doodler". Uh, no. The simplicity, the balance of light and dark, the arresting face. Do you have any idea what the original medium is? Physical, or digital?

[Mabeanie1]

I really like it. And it's nice to have a tiny insight in to how Leonard is spending his time between tours!

The website makes interesting reading too ....

Wendy

[B4real]

Thanks Jarkko, for posting this.

That's a compelling pose which tells you something about the person even if you don't know him.
Art is all about feeling after all.

Helen, I think there's a definite digital component.

..... and yes Wendy, it's really good to know. Let's hope he shows us more artwork.

[anny]

I love it ! hope the portrait will be available soon.
very interesting too !

thank you leonard -
thank you jarkko for sharing this with us

[lizzytysh]

Great portrait.
Leonard sure knows how to be fairer to other people's faces.
Love Lerner's sense of humour. Reminds me of Leonard's. Love how he speaks of himself in the third person.

Thanks to both Leonard and Jarkko!!

[Cate]

I like it, I especially like the Eric in Monk robes that is floating in the corner.

Love Lerner's sense of humour. Reminds me of Leonard's. Love how he speaks of himself in the third person.

Me too. His introduction reminds me of the voice in Death of a Ladies Man.

I'm thoroughly enjoying Eric's website, especially right now the 'Elaborate Fiction'. Side note - apparently our Mr. Cohen was a contributing editor to a magazine he was putting out. There's so much in that section from some great prose poems from James Tate, to an article by Allen Ginsberg, some highlights from Death of a Ladies Man ...

[lizzytysh]

Once again, Leonard has expanded our worlds

[holydove]

Fascinating portrait & such a sweet intro to it!! I love it. How touching that Leonard would communicate with us in this way, & how nice to hear from him while we are missing his presence on the road.

And the little poems next to the photos in the website are hilarious.

Thank you to Leonard for sharing this thread of light, & thank you to Jarkko for posting it.

[Tchocolatl]

Talk about real news, now! Mr. Cohen must have had compassion for all the hungry for more more more of Leonard Cohen, those who are picking every crumbs of LC they can find anywhere and bring it in the news section. I never read Eric Lerner.

http://www.ericlernerfictions.com/older/sweetjane.pdf

Ah-ha! Did I find Jane, like in Jane, like in FBR?

I have to do more reseachs to know if he is Eric J. Lerner the plasma guy, now.

[imaginary friend]

I like the portrait.

The way that the thick, black shapes of clothing speak of the solid mass of the man beneath. Barely contained by the frame, he pushes against it on three sides. In contrast to this bulk of clothing and personality, a thin, stringy line elegantly describes the seams of his jeans.

The website is also a pleasure to explore.

Thanks Jarkko and Leonard for this taste of Eric Lerner.

[tomsakic]

Happy to see LC and Eric Lerner are still hanging out together. It took me years to find his film Kiss the Sky, cultish "Leonard Cohenesque" flick reviewed here on The Files: http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/kisssky.html (The film is available on torrents in last couple of years so I now have seen it.)

I'd strongly suggest to all Cohenites to see that film, they will see why. I'd like to see it's script in PDF on the website...

The other reference, beside of course Bird on a Wire movie which he wrote (and took Leonard's title:) is Roshi's magazine ZERO which Lerner published and edited (there were few issues in 1978-81 I think - it's all, as is Lerner, mentioned in Ira Nadel's book). Back way, in early 2000s, I got few issues from AbeBooks and it was worth it, especially if you're interested in Zen (Roshi's major essay on the concept of Zero was printed in it; now available on Lerner's website under Elaborate Fiction). Great to see it now posted on his new website - much more to explore. In 2008 the commercial publishing company I was acquainted with tried to contact his then-website to see about the translation rights for his novel Pinkerton's Secret (based on first online chapter, good reviews, and "from author of Bird on the Wire movie" tag, they thought it would sell, and I was happy to suggest Lerner, as Leonard's associate/colleague/friend, for possible translation into my language), but alas it never came to fruition.

[lizzytysh]

Such a lot of great information, Tom. Thanks!
Who knows... it may still come to fruition, unless you were already contacted back then with no happy result.

[Tchocolatl]

I like that Tom that you are more obvious then me.

Now don't miss a bus or something.

[Tchocolatl]

Ttttsssk

This gloomy 13 again! And by myself! Hou!

This one is just for the luck.