A collection of Leonard Cohen’s favourite writers
Canadian musician Leonard Cohen was an extraordinary presence, gracing us with some of the most profound songs ever made. From ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’ to ‘Hallelujah’, Cohen bared the inner workings of his mind through emotional and sensitively written poems set to music.
In total, Cohen recorded 14 studio albums during his career, including landmark folk records such as Songs of Love and Hate and New Skin For the Old Ceremony. The brilliance of Cohen’s music lies in his writing skills, stemming from his background as a writer. He became increasingly drawn to reading and writing in high school, joining McGill University in 1951 to study English Literature. By 1956, he had released his first book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies. The following years saw Cohen write more poetry, as well as several short stories and novels.
Although Cohen’s work found praise from critics, he wasn’t very commercially successful, subsequently turning to songwriting. Despite claiming he couldn’t sing or play guitar at this point, Cohen soon proved his incredible talents with the release of 1967’s Songs of Leonard Cohen, which reached number 13 on the UK Album Charts.
From that moment, Cohen cemented himself as one of the world’s most impressive singer-songwriters, a title he never wavered from. Cohen was truly a poet as much as a musician, all thanks to his intense love of literature. Over the years, Cohen discussed many of his favourite authors and books, as well as his general passion for language.
“Occasionally we are touched by certain elaborate language, like the language we associate with the Elizabethan period, with the King James translation of The Bible, or Shakespeare,” he once said. “In certain moments you are influenced by very simple things. The instructions on a cereal package have a magnificent clarity”.
Cohen’s taste in literature was incredibly diverse, ranging from The Bible to philosophical thinkers like Albert Camus. Discussing The Bible, he said, “The Bible was not forced on me, I received it like honey, and I found all the stories equally beautiful, from the Creation to the Apocalypse.”
Cohen also enjoyed the work of poets such as W.B. Yeats, once stating, “As a young man, Yeats spoke to me in a way I could understand. Shakespeare I couldn’t understand, but Yeats I could. It was his subject matter and also I really admired the way he put his personal life on the line.”
With that, the Canadian was a big fan of another Irish writer, James Joyce, telling Michael Benazon in 1968 that the end paragraph of ‘The Dead’ from Dubliners was “decisive” before adding: “I read that passage over and over again.”
Cohen greatly admired Federico Garcia Lorca, claiming: “His poems perhaps have had the greatest influence on my texts. He summoned up a world where I felt at home. His images were sensual and mysterious.”
Discover Cohen’s favourite authors and poets below.
Leonard Cohen’s favourite writers:
- Albert Camus
- Dante
- Miguel de Cervantes
- W.B. Yeats
- Humbert Wolfe
- Homer
- William Wordsworth
- John Milton
- Robert Herrick
- Robertson Davies
- Federico Garcia Lorca
- Irving Layton
- Edmund Spenser
- James Joyce
- Louis Dudek
- Li Po
- Tu Fu
