Book of Longing is Leonard Cohen's first book of new poetry since Book of Mercy was published two decades ago. It collects Cohen's poetry written between the 1980s and the present, and also includes his wonderfully witty and sensuous illustrations, including numerous playful self-portraits. The illustrations interact with, and complement, the poetry in unexpected and fascinating ways. Book of Longing demonstrates the range and depth of Cohen's work, revealing an extraordinary gift of language and visual art that speak with rare clarity, passion and timelessness.
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[I can't make the hills / The system is shot / I'm living on pills / for which I thank G-d (THE BOOK OF LONGING)]***
(@PenguinUKBooks, 2 October 2018, first published 25 April 2006, audiobook, 3 hours 12 minutes, borrowed from @natpoetrylib via @OverDriveLibs, read by Leonard Cohen)
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I'd heard of Leonard Cohen before but had never listened to his music and had no idea he also wrote poetry. I really enjoyed this. Cohen reads the poem himself. There's something very hypnotic and effortless about his voice so I understand why people would enjoy listening to him. The poems here are varied in subject matter and length but touch on common themes such as love, death, grief and relationships. The book is split into three parts and I listened to one part at a time. My favourite poems are The Book of Longing, True Self, The Tradition, The Sweetest Little Song, I Am Now Able and Inside Our Love. I will read his other poetry collection, Book of Mercy at some point.