Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs | 
| Author: Leonard Cohen
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $8.16
You Save: $7.79 (49%)
New (34) Used (32) from $4.45
Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 21290
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 432
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 6.3 x 1
ISBN: 0679755411
Dewey Decimal Number: 780
EAN: 9780679755418
ASIN: 0679755411
Publication Date: November 1, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For the first time in paperback--the selected work of the legendary singer, poet, and performer. Stranger Music presents a magnificent cross-section of Cohen's work--including 11 previously unpublished poems--and demonstrates definitively that Cohen is a writer of dazzling intelligence and a force that transcends genres.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Excellent Songwriter, Not So Great A Poet May 3, 2008
J. Cohen
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anyone who knows anything about Leonard Cohen knows that he started out as a popular Canadian poet before he became a world-famous singer/songwriter. Once he began his career as a songwriter, this genre became his main focus,and he largely abandoned his poetry. Judging by this book of poems and song lyrics, he made a wise choice.
Many of his songs are now considered masterpieces of the singer/songwriter genre, among them, "Suzanne," The Chelsea Hotel," and "I'm Your Man." His poetry, on the other hand, is not so highly esteemed. Although his poetry is undoubtedly better than most songwriters' poetry, it still doesn't hold up very well.
This book's mix of Cohen's poems and song lyrics might serve fans of his albums well if they're looking for an entry into the world of poetry, but I don't believe the book adequately shows off Cohen's talents.
His greatest successes were not in his poetry or prose but in his songs, and to get the greatest sense of his skills as a writer, I would recommend listening to a compilation of his songs. A good place to start is probably "The Best of Leonard Cohen" or "The Essential Leonard Cohen."
 Vintage Cohen January 26, 2007
J. Bosiljevac (san fran, ca)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
More than once I've read poetry by favorite musicians and though, "Oh. Without music, this isn't very good." But Cohen was a writer first--the strength of his songs has always been the lyrics. This book is a collection of both poetry and lyrics (and a little poetic prose). It's vintage Cohen--dark and passionate and violent and melodramatic. It's about torrid love affairs and failed marriages and betrayal and war. If you like Cohen's lyrics, you'll like these poems, though you won't find any departures here.
 Happy Birthday to Me.... June 28, 2005
Lone Star Lola (Dallas, TX)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I had been introduced to Leonard Cohen in the late '80's through a high school boyfriend, and my roommate in college used to read his poetry when we had gatherings - when she read "Suzanne" aloud I realized for the first time how beautiful the lyrics were and, despite loving Cohen's music, I wanted to see more of his lyrics stripped bare so I could enjoy them on their own. I was in Austin on my birthday in th early 90's and was window-shopping the Tower Records on Guadelupe. Lo and behold, "Stanger Music" was on display. I remember it being expensive ( I was in college, $20.00 was a lot of money!) but heck, it was my birthday so I splurged. It's still one of my favorite gifts to myself and my all-time favorite book of poetry.
Cohen's writing reveals a lot of tenderness and soul while being very masculine. He writes about mundane things and makes them beautiful with his words, he observes everything with appreciation and is able to fully immerse himself in a moment - probably a quality honed during his monastic years. His poetry is very honest and unashamed, there is no fear of vulnerability. Some of it is deeply romantic and some is just downright sexy (but always tastefully so.) "My Room" is the most provocative two lines of poetry I've ever read. Truly amazing stuff, highly recommended.
 Fantastic Collection & Perfect 1st Cohen Book to Buy August 24, 2004
foundpoem
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
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One of my top gift items: Turn people on to this book. It is a terrific, full anthology that includes much out-of-print material. The poetry is stylistically wide in scope (from how-did-he-do that perfect to sparse, intense, free-verse); it has unique, emotionally-driven language choices, rhythm and content. Its tenor is lugubrious, and its subject matter tends toward sex and religion.
This, as opposed to his individual books of poetry: The individual books are typically short and some are wonderful -- each is very different, thus liked by different tastes. If you don't own any Cohen books, buy this first -- it's got great poems (plus clips of prose, as from "Beautiful Losers"). The chapters are laid out by book and album title (lyrics are here, too); therefore, if/when you want another book after, you will know which one. One thing I don't like about it is the change in poem titles from their originals.
This books ends when Cohen is in his 50's, at least in the previously unpublished poems at the end -- so, before the monastery part of his life, though religion is well part of him (he is Orthodox Jewish and views his Buddhism as compatible with his Judaism). I'm not much a fan of his post-monastery work, and if I have one regret it's that I discovered Leonard Cohen within the past ten years, and never got to see him live.
Know, too, that Cohen was a published poet--well-known in Canada--before he recorded music. He began to play guitar while reading poetry -- it went over well!
songs and poems March 19, 2004
I ain't no porn writer (author, "Crippled Dreams")
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
Some people who listen to Leonard Cohen's music hardly realize that he was (or is) well-known as a poet for a very long time. There was a real tradition of songwriters who were poets, especially starting back in the '50s and '60s, like Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Morrison, etc. I think Cohen's classic work however is "Beautiful Losers", especially excerpts like "All Right, Edith" and "Believe Me, Edith". It's in here. As well as lotsa poems and the lyrics to some of his songs that pass for poetry. David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding heart"
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