Leonard Cohen
The Mystical Roots of Genius
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Narrated by:
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Ben Onwukwe
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By:
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Harry Freedman
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents Leonard Cohen by Harry Freedman, read by Ben Onwukwe.
Leonard Cohen taught us that even in the midst of darkness there is light, in the midst of hatred there is love, with our dying breath we can still sing Hallelujah.' – The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
'Among the finest volumes on Cohen’s life and lyrics ... An exploration which would have intrigued and engaged Leonard himself.' – John McKenna, writer and friend of Leonard Cohen
Harry Freedman uncovers the spiritual traditions that lie behind Leonard Cohen's profound and unmistakable lyrics.
The singer and poet Leonard Cohen was deeply learned in Judaism and Christianity, the spiritual traditions that underpinned his self-identity and the way he made sense of the world. In this book Harry Freedman, a leading author of cultural and religious history, explores the mystical and spiritual sources Cohen drew upon, discusses their original context and the stories and ideas behind them.
Cohen’s music is studded with allusions to Jewish and Christian tradition, to stories and ideas drawn from the Bible, Talmud and Kabbalah. From his 1967 classic ‘Suzanne’, through masterpieces like ‘Hallelujah’ and ‘Who by Fire’, to his final challenge to the divinity, ‘You Want It Darker’ he drew on spirituality for inspiration and as a tool to create understanding, clarity and beauty.
Born into a prominent and scholarly Jewish family in Montreal, Canada, Cohen originally aspired to become a poet, before turning to song writing and eventually recording his own compositions. Later, he became immersed in Zen Buddhism, moving in 1990 to a Zen monastery on Mount Baldy, California where he remained for some years. He died, with immaculate timing, on the day before Donald Trump was elected in 2016, leaving behind him a legacy that will be felt for generations to come.
Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius looks deeply into the imagination of one of the greatest singers and lyricists of our time, providing a window on the landscape of his soul. Departing from traditional biographical approaches, Freedman explores song by song how Cohen reworked myths and prayers, legends and allegories with an index of songs at the end of the book for readers to search by their favourites.
By the end the reader will be left with a powerful understanding of Cohen’s story, together with a far broader insight into the mystical origins of his inimitable work.
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Story
Many Christians mistakenly believe that their only choice is either to reconcile themselves to a fundamentalist reading of scripture (a "literal-factual" approach) or to simply reject the Bible as something that could bring meaning and value into their lives. In Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg shows how instead we can freshly appreciate all the essential elements of the Old and New Testaments - from Genesis to Revelation - in a way that can open up a new world of intelligent faith.
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Marcus Borg's level of scholarship
- By Diana Johnson on 11-08-24
By: Marcus J. Borg
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The Characters of Christmas
- 10 Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus
- By: Daniel Darling
- Narrated by: Dean Gallagher
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Learn something new this Christmas as you explore the oft-overlooked characters behind the Christmas story, like the wise men, Simeon, Anna, and Herod. The Characters of Christmas will show you a familiar Jesus from a fresh perspective.
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Thought it would be more historical.
- By Norine on 01-02-21
By: Daniel Darling
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A Little History of the World
- By: E. H. Gombrich
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.
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an enlightening book; very well read
- By A.B.Oxford on 06-03-06
By: E. H. Gombrich
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The Purpose of Man
- Designed to Worship
- By: A. W. Tozer, James L. Snyder
- Narrated by: Jon Gauger
- Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A. W. Tozer earned a legendary reputation as a prophetic voice, and he continues to be a best-selling author half a century after his death. A preacher at heart, he found his greatest joy in practicing the presence of God. Worship was his focus and his passion. His sermons were such strong declarations of what he discovered during private prayer and worship of the triune God that he had both the ability and the Spirit's anointing to move his listeners to wrestle with what God was saying to the church.
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Great book!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-28-18
By: A. W. Tozer, and others
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Christ
- A Crisis in the Life of God
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Jack Miles's book is a provocative and revisionary look at the life of Jesus, in which many of the most well-worn truths about Christ are recontextualized and revisited. It does not look for the historical Jesus, but takes the Gospels as the sole source about his life.
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Missed a lot of stuff
- By Wintertao on 01-08-21
By: Jack Miles
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Eucharist
- By: Robert Barron
- Narrated by: Robert Barron
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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A master theologian offers inspiring insights into the mystery of Christ's presence in our lives. As festive as the film Babette's Feast and as profound as the work of Ronald Knox, this fresh look at the Eucharist brings to light the spiritual meaning of meal, sacrifice, and real presence in our lives.
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Orthodox teaching, beautifully presented
- By Echo Juliet on 12-29-11
By: Robert Barron
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Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
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Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
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Who Is This Man?
- The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus
- By: John Ortberg
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author John Ortberg shares how Jesus' influence has swept over history and how his vision of life continues to impact humanity today. Jesus' impact on our world is highly unlikely, widely inescapable, largely unknown, and decidedly double-edged. It is unlikely in light of the severe limitations of his earthly life; it is inescapable because of the range of impact; it is unknown because history doesn't connect dots; and it is doubled-edged because his followers have wreaked so much havoc, often in his name.
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NOT narrated by John Ortberg, sadly
- By T. Harris on 08-15-12
By: John Ortberg
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Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels
- By: Kenneth E. Bailey
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context.
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One of the best resources on Jesus EVER
- By Arthur Sippo on 04-21-20
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The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
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Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
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You Were Made for This Moment
- Courage for Today and Hope for Tomorrow
- By: Max Lucado
- Narrated by: Ben Holland
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Are you weary? Worn out by the bills that keep stacking, a virus that keeps raging, or a heart that keeps aching? If so, the book of Esther brings welcome news: Relief will come! To be clear, you didn't ask for this struggle. You want to get past it. You don't know how much longer you can hold up. But what if God is with you in this difficult season? When life seems off the rails, remember this truth: the minute you bow your head to pray is the moment God lifts his hand to help.
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Do you need hope?
- By Tammy Kfoury on 11-10-21
By: Max Lucado
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The Bad Habits of Jesus
- Showing Us the Way to Live Right in a World Gone Wrong
- By: Leonard Sweet
- Narrated by: Dean Gallagher
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Did Jesus have bad habits? In our culture we have a tendency to describe Jesus in ways that soften his revolutionary edge. Len Sweet uncovers and presents to us the offensive and scandalous Jesus described in the Bible. Did he disappear when people needed him most? Yes. Did he refuse to answer questions directly? Yes. Did Jesus offend the people of his day? Absolutely yes. Popular author and speaker Len Sweet examines the words and actions of Jesus and places them in context.
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My I have the bad habits of Jesus
- By Bob I. on 02-26-17
By: Leonard Sweet
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Jesus the Bridegroom
- The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
- By: Brant Pitre
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
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Most Christians are familiar with the Apostle Paul's teaching that Christ is the "Bridegroom" and the Church is the "Bride." But what does this really mean? And what would ever possess Paul to compare the death of Christ to the love of a husband for his wife? If you would have been at the Crucifixion, with Jesus hanging there dying, is that how you would have described it? How could a first-century Jew like Paul, who knew how brutal Roman crucifixions were, have ever compared the execution of Jesus to a wedding?
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Accessible yet Profound
- By William J. Wilson on 12-09-15
By: Brant Pitre
What listeners say about Leonard Cohen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- J.N.
- 03-05-22
Great concept, poorly narrated.
I loved the concept and content; however, I did NOT appreciate the narrator's execution.
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- Veronica
- 08-21-22
Useful, with some inspired moments
Understanding Leonard Cohen a little better has made me love him a little more and better, too. Love love love Leonard!!
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- Lori G
- 03-13-22
Reader didn’t work for me
I was frustrated by mini of the readers pronunciations of Hebrew and even Manischewitz wine! He was focusing so hard on creating a deep Cohen like voice and didn’t take time to learn how to speak like a knowledgeable Jew.
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- Melanie S. Kline
- 04-30-24
I wish someone would have coached the narrator on pronunciation
While I love hearing the life story of Leonard Cohen, the frequently mispronounced Hebrew and biblical words and names were really off putting to me. These things meant so much to Mr Cohen, to his poetry and music, to his personal journey. I feel offended on his behalf. Someone knowledgeable should have caught these errors before it was released. It made the listening experience aggravating.
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- Artemis Rising
- 10-31-21
Narrator horrendous!!!!
When narrator mimics Leonard, I think Leonard - wherever he is in the next level- holds his ears and moans —— I certainly do. I so looked forward to this rendering, but the narrator voice, interpretations, reading is like nails on a bulletin board. A real thorough mess of narration. Read the text ; do NOT buy this audible version.
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1 person found this helpful