 | |
List Price: $15.95 | | Publisher: Vintage
Salesrank: 116533
Released: November 1, 1994 |
| Our Price: $9.38 |
| Used Price: $6.18 |
|
| Media: Paperback |
|
Editorial Review:
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 Stranger Music presents a magnificent cross-section of Cohen's work--including 11 previously unpublished poems--and demonstrates definitively that Cohen is a writer of dazzling intelligence and a force that transcends genres.
Stranger Music: Selected Poems and Songs Reviews:
Better late than never 
2009-11-27 - I listened to Leonard Cohen for the first time on TV when Public T V did a
program of his works. He's a few years older than I and I am sorry I missed him when
I was a younger person. Anybody who can coin the phrase " I ache in the places
where I used to play" is worth listening to. Wonderful stuff !!!!
Definitely a Must Buy for your collection
2009-08-18 - I've known this book for many years now and find that it's a familiar touchpoint. It has all of my favorite poems by Leonard Cohen: "Dance Me to the End of Love", "Isaiah", "All There is to Know About Adolph Eichman", "Slowly I Married Her", "Lovers" and so many more. A simply arranged index and organized by the original collection the typography is well laid out and one can easily browse and select a few poems to fit your mood, or find the lyrics for one of his songs.
If you are looking for a definitive collection of Leonard Cohen, either for yourself or as a gift - this is it. Recommended.
(For another artist who references Leonard Cohen in a humorous way, try Momnipotent: Songs for Weary Parents. The song "Leonard Cohen's Never Gonna Bring My Groceries In" is hilarious and it will send you scrambling to find the poem it references. The rest of the album is also very good and is a terrific gift for new mothers.)
Excellent Songwriter, Not So Great A Poet 
2008-05-03 - 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 
2007-01-26 - 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....
2005-06-28 - 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.
