"We may be ugly, but we have the music"
Katherine Gottli
Issue date: 3/18/08 Section: News
"After the synthesizer becomes too painful to even revisit in retro, half of his music will disappear. Fifty years after that only archaeologists and musical historians will care about the legacy of the fireside acoustic guitar ballad," he said. "His books, the poetry and both novels, and even his lyrics will not diminish in the same way. In the meantime, while musicians tribute him because he was the first cool singer in their parent's record collection, writers in this country are still trying to catch up to the imaginative freedom of Beautiful Losers."
Cohen's impact on Canadian Literature is truly profound, according to Betts and Rose. During the '70s when Cohen had his metaphorical birth in the literary scene, there were hundreds of interest groups, all in fierce opposition against each other - every one attempting to stifle and censor each other's creativity in order to enhance their own. Cohen, however, was able to rise above it all.
"The beautiful thing about Leonard Cohen is that he was able to break through the entrenched and dominant conservativism of the Canadian literary industry and make a thousand perfectly normal books seem instantly dated, irrelevant, and trivial," Betts said. "Through Cohen, Canadian literature left the politics of this country and discovered mythology. The rest of us enjoy the benefit of travelling along in his wake."
Cohen's impact on Canadian Literature is truly profound, according to Betts and Rose. During the '70s when Cohen had his metaphorical birth in the literary scene, there were hundreds of interest groups, all in fierce opposition against each other - every one attempting to stifle and censor each other's creativity in order to enhance their own. Cohen, however, was able to rise above it all.
"The beautiful thing about Leonard Cohen is that he was able to break through the entrenched and dominant conservativism of the Canadian literary industry and make a thousand perfectly normal books seem instantly dated, irrelevant, and trivial," Betts said. "Through Cohen, Canadian literature left the politics of this country and discovered mythology. The rest of us enjoy the benefit of travelling along in his wake."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
carol
posted 3/19/08 @ 6:30 AM EST
What do you mean by "During the '70s when Cohen had his metaphorical birth in the literary scene"?
Between '56 and '72 he produced two novels and six poetry collections. (Continued…)
Phoenix DJ
posted 2/07/09 @ 6:42 AM EST
Leonard Cohen is a true artist that actually has authentic value. I really have no doubt that he will enter the Hall of Fame. This is a matter that shouldn't take too much time to discuss. (Continued…)
Post a Comment