Letter from LC in The Daily Telegraph today

[Born With The Gift Of A G]

The following was published on the letters page of The Daily Telegraph in the UK on Tuesday, 18th July 2006:


Cohen quotation

Sir - I appreciate David Gritten's (Arts, June 29) friendly and generous response to Lian Lunson's documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man.

Next to the article are six quotations which are meant to demonstrate "The wisdom of Cohen". One is titled "Elizabeth II". A reader might assume that these are remarks I recently made, or that they are extracted from an interview in the film, or that I talk this way. I don't. I'm not fond of the disrespectful style.

These are words I put in the mouth of a doomed, flamboyant character in a book I wrote years ago. It is part of a story, most of which I've forgotten.

Leonard Cohen, Quebec, Canada

And here's the original article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jh ... ohen29.xml

[lizzytysh]

Good on Leonard for setting them straight ~ Out-of-context can/will distort every time! It appears they did not make the source and context of their quotations clear... at least not enough for Leonard's comfort. I'll read the article in a little bit.

~ Lizzy

[tomsakic]

It's so typical. Leonard Cohen's quotations (or anyobody's else's) are NOTZ the quotations from his work, but what he said. These are quotations from his books/songs. Journalists (and many others) will never understand that there's a fiction and there's real world. What's written in the book or sung in the song is NOT what the citizen Leonard Cohen thinhs privately or personally.
Wikipedia has the some problem - they have big section of Leonard Cohen Quotation were many lines from his songs are quoted. That's simply stupid.

I mean, Sunday Telegraph took parts from Beatiful Losers. Ageing? It's not Leonard Cohen talking, it's his "I" character in the novel.

[hydriot]

The narrator's voice being mistaken for the author's voice is actually a compliment that all writers strive for. It shows you have completely succeeded in the 'suspension of disbelief'. It can, however, have unfortunate side-effects like this, and a major British newspaper really ought to have known better.

[lizzytysh]

Very good point, Hydriot... one I wouldn't have considered regarding the writer's voice. Thanks for pointing that out. Major true on the culpability of a major British [or any ~ it just happens to be British] newspaper publishing it as Leonard's own thoughts and voice, however.

~ Lizzy

[Baldwyn]

This was an awful article, in terms of accuracy.

But Antony is a real revelation, his tremulous falsetto elevating Cohen's If It Be Your Will to

new heights even if the deadpan wit of Death of a Ladies' Man seems to elude Cocker and Orton.

Yeah. I Can't Forget and Sisters of Mercy sure weren't on that album. But perhaps Lian is to blame for this one. You don't talk about Death of a Ladies' Man and immediately transition to I Can't Forget, and expect people to imagine that that song ISN'T on the album. But in any case.

But yes, I think I complained about this article the first time for not differentiating between poems, and quotes.

He shows a beguiling humility about his contribution to music and letters. "I had the title 'poet', and maybe for a while I was one," he reflects. "Also the title 'singer' was kindly accorded me - even though I could barely carry a tune."

I mean c'mon.

Anyways. Pleased to see Leonard respond graciously, but setting the record straight.

[Fljotsdale]

Shows our Leonard reads the papers!

Good for him to set the blighters right!

[Tchocolatl]

Quotes came from the body of work as well as the horse's mouth when it comes to quote an author. It is left to the culture and intelligence of readers to find which is what.

Leonard Cohen should not take a chance to annoy Charles' Mum at this point. Seriously. He just did not take a chance that the readers do "their homeworks" as 99% of people are not doing anything but jump to conclusion without giving a second thougth. However, the guy is accurate, to be precise is important for him, do you remember? He has a public relation job to do, a side that goes with show business, but I'm under the impression that he does not appreciate all these journalists' activities that can easily turn into nonsense in no time.

[Dem]

But if the voice of a fictional character in a novel
doesn’t belong to its writer to whom it belongs?


Dem

[Red Poppy]

The voice belongs to the character, the character belongs in the story, the story emanates from the imagination of the author.
If we follow your logic, Dem, then male writers can only truly write in male voices and vice versa.
And George Orwell would have been up the creek with Animal Farm and all writers would be a mass of contradictory opinions (which, of course they often are, before you point that out to me!).

[lizzytysh]

It's a matter of context. For me, it belongs to the character [though ultimately one might say it belongs to the writer ~ however, not for purposes of quoting the character out of context, with the quote being held as representative of the writer as a person]. From what I understand from listening to fiction writers, a character will often take on a life of its own, with the writer almost in a position of 'channeler' ~ the beauty and art of character development are making the character as consistent as possible in every possible way, hence believable... unless the character's tendency is to be inconsistent or unbelievable .


~ Elizabeth

[Rob]

Charles must have been well chuffed to read that with his corn flakes.
Rob.

[david birkett]

I imagine there is a court official whose role it is to choke on Charles' cornflakes.

Although organic wholemeal oats is more likely.

[lizzytysh]

I imagine there is a court official whose role it is to choke on Charles' cornflakes.

[margaret]

Maybe the same courtier who squeezes his toothpaste tube for him !