Matters of Vital Interest

July 1, 2018
Singer, songwriter, and poet Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) wanted to be remembered above all as a good father.In an affectionate, closely observed memoir, novelist, screenwriter, and film producer Lerner (Pinkerton's Secret, 2008, etc.) recounts a friendship that began in 1977 and lasted until Cohen's death. At the time they met, Cohen "was already intent on keeping his private life as far removed from the limelight of his career as possible." In fact, his career was not flourishing: He wanted to be acclaimed as a serious poet or literary novelist but instead performed as a singer to support himself, his ex-wife, and two children. Lerner describes Cohen as "an ethereal being" whose "vital energy resided above his shoulders." The men shared a two-family house for many years, and despite decades of difference in their ages, became confidants. "Somehow," Lerner writes, "he determined that I could understand him without explanation." And Lerner felt equally understood: "he knew I was heading into the same difficult waters he was treading, fighting the riptide and the undertow." Those difficult waters included professional obstacles (Cohen "tried to hold his life together with chewing gum and Scotch tape"), disappointments in love, and a deep spiritual quest. They both sought guidance from Japanese-born Rinzai Zen master Joshu Sasaki Roshi, engaging in ritualized practices and periods of meditation known as sesshin. A shared desire to understand their true natures, plumb the depths of their souls, and find enlightenment recurred in their ongoing conversations, which Lerner presents verbatim. They also discussed Cohen's frustrated efforts to further his career; only after his manager embezzled all his money did he launch a tour that met with wild enthusiasm. More than performing, though, Lerner says that for Cohen, fatherhood "defined his life." When he was with his children (who lived mostly with their mother), he didn't try "to entertain, amuse, or distract" but instead "to enchant. That's the kind of father Leonard was." More than once, he told Lerner "on his gravestone they should just put: Father."A sensitive portrait of a sly, charming, complicated man.

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July 23, 2018
In this affectionate memoir, novelist and screenwriter Lerner (Pinkerton’s Secret) chronicles his friendship with the late singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen. The two first met in 1977, when they were in their 40s, at a Zen retreat in California. For several years they shared a house in California, where they supported each other through divorces and fatherhood (both men favored their daughters over their sons), and through various illnesses and surgeries. Lerner tells of Cohen’s love of performing and the struggles he had with the Sony record company, which refused to publicize his 1988 album, I’m Your Man. As both men aged, they continued to be inspirational forces in each other’s lives, affectionately referring to each other as “Old Boy.” Lerner’s descriptions of Cohen’s last days are moving: in a final email exchange between them, Cohen writes, “I wrote back quickly, desperately, several times, but there was no reply. Our long conversation had finally come to and end.” Lerner’s tender, moving memoir reveals Cohen as a devoted friend and father, a side of him not often seen in public.

October 15, 2018

This engaging memoir and chronicle of a long friendship offers generous glimpses of the private life of poet-singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016). Screenwriter and novelist Lerner (Pinkerton's Secret) met Cohen at a Buddhist retreat in 1977. Except for brief descriptions of albums in progress and disinterest from record companies, there's little about the artist's career. Cohen emerges as a spiritual seeker, a charming and loyal friend, and, above all, a family man. For many years the two shared a duplex in a seedy section of Los Angeles. They offered each other advice on work, family, and finding the right spiritual path. At times Cohen fades into the background as Lerner describes his own career and family. The last two chapters are a poignant account of Cohen's cancer and death; at the time, Lerner had brain surgery, and the two commiserated about treatments and declining health. VERDICT Cohen fans will devour this book, hoping to find clues about the man behind the legend. As with Dwayne Raymond's Mornings with Mailer, it provides an intimate look at the daily life of an artist.--Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA

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