leonardcohenforum.com

Today the author, Cristophe Lebold, was a guest on the Craig Charles radio programme on BBC 6 music. He gave an explanation of his background and his experience and friendship with Leonard and a brief summary of the contents of his book. There were also a number of excerpts of Leonard's songs played, accompanying the commentary. Also a complete play of "Steer Your Way". The programne should be available on the BBC app or can be streamed for 30 days. The interview starts at approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes into the programme.

Lebold has written three dissertations about Cohen (master’s and doctorate, and one in between), and, as a lecturer at the University of Strasbourg, in France, created two college courses on him. His subtitle captures the guiding insight of his book, and is a plausible starting point: Cohen’s music is devoted to the idea that human beings are inherently fallen creatures, and therefore, as Lebold writes, “frivolity sucks; gravity heals.”

Lebold describes his portrait, newly translated from the French, as “part biography, part analysis, and part ode,” though over 500 pages, “ode” comes to predominate.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... ok/679573/