'You Have Sweetened Your Word': Sincerity and Prayer in Leonard Cohen's Book of Mercy

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
'You Have Sweetened Your Word': Sincerity and Prayer in Leonard Cohen's Book of Mercy
Abstract
The author points out that Montrealer Leonard Cohen's (b.1934) classic book of contemporary psalms, meditations and prayers, Book of Mercy (1984), occupies a central place in the poet's career, as comparison to a wide variety of Cohen "texts" reveals, from poetry, the novel and song to the personal interview and music video. The author argues that interviews and book reviews contemporary with Book of Mercy indicate that it contains a sincere message of faith and prophetic warning that Cohen publicly defends. The author points out that Cohen's eclectic but reverent incorporation of language and ideas from Judaeo-Christian traditions of prayer and mysticism shows his regard for the sacred expression of his predecessors. As a result, Book of Mercy stands slightly apart from the rest of Cohen's oeuvre, yet it is not simply an anomaly. Instead, the author maintains, it forms an integral part of a prolonged narrative of spiritual desire that began in 1956 with Cohen's first book of poetry (Let Us Compare Mythologies) and has continued through to his later works, such as the album, The Future (1992) and the poem, "On the Path" (Book of Longing).
Type
Master's Thesis
University
McGill University
Place
Montreal
Date
1997
Language
en
URL
Citation
Pezzarello, Christopher Joseph. “‘You Have Sweetened Your Word’: Sincerity and Prayer in Leonard Cohen’s Book of Mercy.” Master’s Thesis, McGill University, 1997. http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ29507.pdf.
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