The Remarkable Life of Leonard Cohen: new biography (2010)

[dick]

It isn't a research classic, but I stiil am finding the book quite enjoyable. Glad Arlene and Leslie will travel with it. Hope you both enjoy too!

[Geoffrey]

AnthonyR wrote:
>in all my biographies, I want to write primarily about the work. I am not interested in the ambiguities of the subject's personal or sex life . . . I'm not even overly interested in their childhood circumstances.


sounds like a really interesting book (ha ha ha!!!)

[Cheshire gal]

Geoffrey,

I can see how your pinned

[anneporter]

I finally opened this book today, and put it down again in dismay at the awkwardness and inelegance of the prose when I had hoped to find eloquence and grace to match the subject...I must learn to adjust my expectations.....

[Liamberney]

Finished reading about a week ago. I have enjoyed this thread (Caz, loved the typo quip - I bet you've practiced it a hundred times on your nine year olds?) and followed it with interest. As a slow reader, I'm sorry I missed the discussion at its height. Most people have commented on the number of error, so to make it brief, this should not happen, and I initially found it off putting. However, I got into it very quickly as the book moved into life on Hydra and the album recordings. I got into the routine of listening to the albums as each was discussed, and that was a revelation. Like most people, I have replaced my vinyl with CDs - which do not always acknowledge the musicians. Also, I have not revisited some of the original recordings for years, so great to compare the original against later versions (I really miss that snare drum that comes in on So long, Marianne). The book gave a thorough insight into the recording sessions and the music, and also how LCs music has developed.
I can't defend the errors in the text, But feel some of the criticism has been harsh. Some have treated the book as a piece of academic research that needs to be challenged. DBCohen's review I found picky and his comment of 'half baked' unfair.
This book is informative and enjoyable to read. Anthony Reynolds writes honestly and has an easy and often amusing style (I don't think he was flirting with me in particular, said the blonde, blue eyed Swede). I prefer it to Nadel's various positions because of the easy style and focus on the music.

I hate to finish on a negative, but Anthony, I can't believe you did'nt make the effort to make a concert after the disapointment of Valencia

Liam

[casterbridgecohen]

Liam (Anthony)

I have not read the book yet but have followed the discussion in this thread - and contributed.

It seems to me that your comments (Liam) are very fair and objective and I too thought - Anthony is a fan of Leonard and yet.................only one concert!

I certainly do not subscribe to the belief that tthe number of concerts one sees is a reflection of how passionate a fan you are but out of professional curiosity and having devoted a year of his life to the book I would have thought it well advisable to visit a couple of concerts to experience the interaction between the music and the fans - as this is such a fundamental part of Leonard's legacy.

[dick]

Guess what AR can afford to do with money and time has to be his decision. I feel sorry for him that he failed to see the phenomenal tour in person, but fortunately "London" and "from the road" and you tubes have documented the spectacular performances pretty well.

Liam -- I am pleased that I am not alone in concluding that the good in Anthony's book far exceeds the admittedly bad.

Casterbridge -- hope to see you again in Las Vegas!

Dick

[Bird off the Wire]

I have been a fan of Leonard's music for about 2 years. At this stage I have listened to all of his studio albums as well as IOW, London, Field Commander Cohen and Songs from the Road. I have seen him once in concert.

However, other than loving his music I know very little about the man or his 'history'. To remedy this I bought Tim Footman's book last year and I also read Harry Rassky's.
Neither of these fulfilled my goal of learning Leonard's story. I am now reading Remarkable Life and, I have to say, this is the book I need. I found Footman far too academic and Rassky only covered a period in time. Reynolds' book, on the other hand, is a true biography. I don't know enough about Cohen to recognise the errors; the book though just motors along effortlessly through LC's life and I'm finding reading it a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. Just to mention once again, I'm not particularly interested in LC as a research subject or deep analysis of his influences etc. I just want to know the man's life story.

[Michael Crane]

I have been an avid Cohen fan since 1967 and was therefore delighted when I received "A Remarkable Life" from my partner as a Christmas present. Delighted that was until I started to read it. No contact seems to have been made with the great man himself and the book relies entirely on unsubstantiated accounts of others meeting and/or working with him. Virtually all of the comments attributed to Cohen will be well known to his folowers as they have all appeared previously in books or DVDs. The real fault of the book however lies in the way it is written and what appears to be the lack of any proof reading. It is absolutely riddled with gramatical errors that render it unreadable in some places. I find it astounding that a publisher with the reputation of Omnibus Press has allowed this to happen, particularly in relation to a subject that is known for his own articulate approach to literature. I have never dreamt of writing a book review before but I really found this offering to be an insult to my senses. It is probably time for a newer, comprehensive review of Cohen's life, particularly after his absolutely stunning world tour but for the time being, I would urge readers to rely on the older Ira Nadel version. Happy New Year to everyone and many thanks to Jarkko for such an excellent site.

[264811403188]

A new edition of Various Positions by Ira Nadel will be released at Amazon in February. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't read Reynolds' book yet (waiting for the promised second edition in the hope for better proof-reading), but recently finished Harry Rasky's book, which I would only recommend to fans who already have read some other biography of LC because this is just a documentation of the 1979 Field Commander Tour and by no means a biography.

[dick]

A later remark to move the threat on this book back up.

People can all disagree. I once again will concede that the editing errors in AR's book are disconcerting and distracting.

I also repeat.... I think this is a very readable and engaging account of many aspects of Leonard's career. I especailly enjoyed the treatment and details provided by and about John Lissauer. The Various Postiions album description is fascinating.

Still looking forward to Sylvie Simmon's bio, which I think will be somewhat expanded. Can't order it yet, however.

And, my real point --- I am glad I spent the time I did with Anthony Reynold's book.

Thanks for a good read Anthony.

[holydove]

A later remark to move the threat on this book back up.


Still looking forward to Sylvie Simmon's bio, which I think will be somewhat expanded. Can't order it yet, however.

Hi, Dick! Interesting slip - "threat" instead of "thread"; or does someone actually have a contract out ??. . .(LOL!) (Sorry - I just couldn't resist. . .thanks for the laugh!)

Yes, I am eagerly awaiting Sylvie Simmons' new biography!! I know it's alot of hard work, esp. given Ms. Simmons' dedication, but I hope it will soon be ready to be born into the world!!

[dick]

Hi, Dick! Interesting slip - "threat" instead of "thread"; or does someone actually have a contract out ??.

Oops

[tomsakic]

I am finally reading this book, attracted by the realization that AR interviewed Lissauer and some other people like Johnny Miller so I could get some new info. But I am amazed by sloppiness and superficiality of the whole book, now on half of it, can't believe how first chapter was bad, without any real context (i.e. why talk about Dudek, and the later mention CiV/n but without mentioning it was Dudek's magazine?), and various names are being mentioned without explanation, including too superficial paragraph on Layton and who he was at the time. Plus, it keeps call Leonard Cohen "Leonard", and even his publisher is referred to as "Jack" instead of McClelland. The first chapters are re-told Nadel, without real insight and the worst thing that much space is spent on unimportant recollections of the people to whom Reynolds spoke but don't have much insight and do not really matters for the matter which is discussed at the moment - like Suzanne Verdal paragraph on p. 48, or Ruth Wisse's recollection on party and Robert Hershorn (which took the whole page) which has nothing to do with LC at that point or whatsoever except that he was getting drugs for LC we can presume (in the end of the book, which was awful and missed completely the idea and greatness of Dear Heather album [I read it on Sharon Robinson's website] Reynolds also spent much time of talking what somebody from 70s or 80s (i.e. Machat's son) thinks about Leonard's current world tour in 2010. That's like he asked John Simon or Leonard's 1976 bass player to talk about 2010 tour or 2012 album.)

Btw, I am intrigued by many obvious superficialities: did author of this book listen to Songs for Rebecca, which is available on fan CD-R (the Bryn Mawr bootleg)? He does not say a word about the songs themselves. Did he read The Favourite Game or can somebody explain what the footnote on page 47 means ("Intriguingly, the book exists in various versions, written both in the first and in latter editions the third person." For God's sake, is there ANY Favorite Game edition in the FIRST person!?!) After that, Beautiful Losers are "fourth novel" - which other two did LC publish? This is of course superficial retelling of Nadel, who explains that first novel was early draft of Fav. Game (which was in first person), second the beginning of the novel written and set in Cuba, so that's I guess how Reynolds counted BLosers as fourth novel.

And on page 51, Stephen Spender is quoted as the author of the maxim "A poem is never finished but abandoned" - unfortunately it was not Spender but Paul Valéry and he said (in English translation) "A poem is never finished, it is only abandoned." The motto was later quoted by W.H. Auden as well. I can't get serious any author writing something like this and keeping his or her integrity after it. But unfortunately this author lost it with the introduction about Valencia show, which defies any comments how horror-full it is in its true aim at sensationalism. I mean, to open a book on L. Cohen with the depiction of his fall at the stage. It left me speechless, and this introduction was the only reason why I did not bother to read this book for a year.

More to follow.

Btw, as non-native speaker, I have to say this is the worst proof-edited book in English I ever read in my life. This is not only about the commas, the whole words are omitted.

[DBCohen]

Tom,

So now you are also sharing this painful experience…

A while ago I received an email from a retired professor in Australia, who thought it must be a bad joke: he found over 600 errors in the book! These include names spelled differently each time, factual errors, dates errors etc., to say nothing about grammar and style. He got so angry that he tried contacting the publishers in the US and UK and the distributers in Australia, and, getting no answer, he considered legal action. Eventually he got an email from the publisher promising a free copy of “a newly edited and corrected edition”. Recently he wrote me again to say that the new edition did arrive, but that less than 50 of the errors were corrected! That just goes to show how much publishers these days care about the quality of their products. What a shame that LC is the victim of such a scandal. I truly hope that the next biography to come out will be worth its name.